FOOD SYMBOLS:

Most of us are familiar with the nutrition information labels now found on most foods, but what about those little logos and symbols? We investigated and explain the most common ones here.

"Fair trade" is both a political and marketing concept. Its advocates promote fair compensation for economically disadvantaged farmers. Proponents believe that economic globalization works against farmers, often forcing them to sell their crops below a price that can support their farm because the same crop, produced elsewhere, is being sold at a lower price. Fair trade organizations act as brokers, buying the product, usually from a farmers coop, that the organization has certified as democratically run and managed and whose members adhere to certain sustainable agricultural practices. For some consumers, the fair trade label justifies the comparatively higher cost of one brand over another.

Coffee was the first product to be labeled "fair trade," and the concept has been expanded to include chocolate, orange juice, sugar, tea, bananas, and other agricultural products. Worldwide, there are at least 17 fair trade organizations. The logo pictured above left is issued by the Fairtrade Labeling Organization, an international group that claims to set the standard for world certification and polices the use of the fair trade label and claims. The other logo is issued by a U.S. fair trade group called TransFair USA. Other labels and certifying agencies exist. At this time, there are no penalties for companies that make false fair trade claims--so let the buyer beware.

ORGANIC:

Prior to October 21, 2002, numerous "organic" labels produced by an array of "certifying" agencies were used to tell a consumer that a food was (supposedly) organic. On that date, the term "organic" was legally codified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which imposed a strict definition of the term "organic" on the use of any label declaring a food to be organic. A fine of $10,000 is charged for any claim that does not meet the following USDA requirements:

"Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too."

There are more than 300 organizations in the United States alone that certify food as kosher, and many of them have their own label. The largest U.S. kosher supervisor (certifying more than 660,000 products) is the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations, which uses the above symbol on the left. Many kosher symbols also contain a "K," as in the symbol on the right. Because the kosher symbol is not government regulated, it is up to each certifying agency to police the use of its own symbol.

Kosher laws are intricate; here are some of the basics:

*The product cannot mix meat and milk products.

*Anything in the product that is derived from an animal must come from an animal that has been slaughtered under the supervision of a rabbi and been examined for any internal wounds.

*Any processing equipment used cannot also be used to process non-kosher material.

*The product cannot be anything derived from pork. In general, only those mammals that chew their cud (ruminants) and have cloven hooves are considered kosher.

*Only those fish that have fins and scales are kosher; shellfish is not kosher.

*In the United States, the only poultry accepted by mainstream certifying organizations as kosher are chicken, turkey, duck, and goose.

GENETICALLY MODIFIED/ENGINEERED:

Genetically modified or genetically engineered (GM or GE) food is one of the most controversial products in the food industry today. A GM product is not the result of selective breeding and propagation programs that have been in existence for hundreds, even thousands, of years but is a product that results from combining the genes of often very different organisms (such as a bacterium and a plant). Genetic modification is used, among other reasons, to enhance flavor and quality, to increase nutrients, and to improve resistance to disease. Opponents argue that this process creates safety and ethical concerns.

While there is currently no mandatory testing or labeling of GM products in the United States. the European Union has required labeling of GM foods since 1997. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates GE crops through a voluntary notification processes in which the company submits its own food data to the FDA, which then notifies the company if it has any objections. Any "GM free" claim, such as that indicated by the logo above left, has no authoritative backing.

The label on the right stands for "identity preserved," which refers to the certification of a product's specific traits or characteristics through the growing, production, and marketing channels. In effect, this label is a sign that the product can be traced back to its origins--the region in which it was produced, the farm that produced it, and the seed and agricultural method used to grow it. The importance of the IP tag for many consumers is that if seeds and crops can be traced to their origin, it is easier to find out if they are the result of genetic modification.

SLOW FOOD:

The slow food movement was started in Italy in 1986 and has grown to at least 80,000 enthusiasts in more than 100 countries. It promotes traditional foods, looks to preserve gastronomic culture, and works to conserve agricultural biodiversity. The movement's "Ark of Taste" (symbol shown above) also developed in Italy, in 1996, is essentially an endangered species list for food. Products bearing this label include foods like heirloom peaches and heritage turkeys. In general, foods that meet the movement's criteria for "slow food" are at the edge of extinction, are produced sustainably, are identified with a particular region, and are not the result of any genetic modification.