Green Grocery Labels: What Do They Mean?
- Rachel Thompson
- May 27
- 5 min read
We may take our coffee different ways. (You may not drink coffee at all.) We may prefer different flavored chips (salt and vinegar for me, please!). We may crave different chocolate after dinner—I’m dark. Maybe you’re milk? Or maybe you’re one of those rumored people who doesn’t like chocolate at all (gasp!).
For all our differences, this unites us: we all buy groceries. So why not consider how we can turn this weekly (sometimes daily) habit into something a little more Earth-friendly?
This post could go a lot of different directions, but for now, we’re going to start with grocery-store labels. What do they mean? What should I look for? These are the questions we’re going to try to tackle so that no matter where you choose to shop, you have the information you need to shop green.
Fair Trade Certified
In another post, I wrote about the Rainforest Alliance, a third-party verifier of consumer goods. Basically, to get their stamp of approval (literally—look for the frog!), a product must go through rigorous testing, which checks for sustainable business practices socially, economically, and environmentally. The Fair Trade USA certification is similar.
According to their website, a Fair Trade Certified (FTC) product “was made according to rigorous standards that protect the livelihoods of farmers, fishers, and other producer communities and the environment.” Those standards focus on three things:
fair wages,
healthy working environments,
and community development.
So when you purchase FTC USA or Fairtrade International (same idea, different logo) products, you can rest assured that you’re helping to support “ethical sourcing and practices and sustainable livelihoods for farmers and workers.”
Non-GMO
In order to increase crop yield, in order to make crops more resistant to pests, in order to achieve specific nutritional values, scientists introduced genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into our production chains—and our diets—in the early 1970s, and these products flooded consumer markets until the late 2000s, when the Non-GMO Project got its start.
That’s the GMO skinny in a nutshell.
Non-GMO labels, then, are marking food products that have been grown without any genetic altering. For these, you’ll look for the butterfly label, and like FTC certification, these products have been put through a verification process that is reviewed annually for compliance.
The question here is, What do GMOs have to do with the environment? I mean, besides preferring non-genetically altered food, does it really matter if I purchase non-GMO products? On this, the World Health Organization provides some insight, but I think the Non-GMO Project website explains it a little more clearly:
“Once released into the environment, GMOs may contaminate other organisms through pollen transfer or seed spillage. Contamination events undermine the genetic integrity of native and wild varieties, endangers future plant-breeding efforts and can result in new superweeds.”
So it seems we’re creating more problems than we’re solving . . . and it seems the issues our bodies are having with processing GMOs (ever wonder why so many people are gluten-free now?) are also being felt by our environment.
Ethically Sourced
Unlike Non-GMO and Fair Trade certifications, seeing something like “ethically sourced” on a product is nothing more than a self-promoted label without any specific third-party verification. When I was talking this over with my husband, he interpreted that as “So I can just slap ‘ethically sourced’ on my Grandma’s homemade lemonade?” I laughed, but I mean, he’s not wrong.
I think the key here is to know the company using the label. For instance, I buy about a third of my groceries from Thrive Market—a company I plan to post more about in the future. They call their products “ethically sourced,” but when you look into why, they explain that they “seek out brands and products that follow ethical practices including fair pay and treatment for workers, strict quality standards, and safe working conditions.”
And you don’t have to just take their word for it, because the products they’re talking about have third-party seals. Read more here.
USDA Certified Organic
There are many more labels we could cover, but for now, let’s end with a biggie: organic. I call this a “biggie” because it’s become such a buzz word over the past ten (or so) years, but why? What is organic food anyway? And what does the label mean?
In a post titled “What’s Wrong with Fertilizer? And Other Yard Questions,” I explain that “organic” simply means using organic materials—as opposed to synthetic or human-made materials—as your fertilizer, herbicide, and pesticide. But according to the USDA’s website, to get their organic certification, there’s a little more to it than that:
“USDA certified organic foods are grown and processed according to federal guidelines addressing, among many factors, soil quality, animal raising practices, pest and weed control, and use of additives. Organic producers rely on natural substances and physical, mechanical, or biologically based farming methods to the fullest extent possible.”
You can read more about their standards on their website, but just know, they are paying attention not just to what’s used on the soil today, but also what’s been used for the past three years. They’re paying attention to how animals are being treated. They’re paying attention to what is being added to our foods. And more.
All of this is helping our food to be healthier, of course; but it’s also helping our environment.
Final Thoughts & Takeaways
This post doesn’t even attempt to cover all the labels out there, but hopefully it’s a good start. And since grocery shopping is something we all do—sometimes daily—it’s something we all have the opportunity to try to do a little better. The biggest takeaway is this:
Consider more than just what you want to eat—think, too, about how your food is being grown, processed, and packaged, as these choices have long-term effects on your health, others’ lives (their jobs and homes), and the environment.
And remember, you don’t have to fix the system (or even your own pantry) in one day! Think about taking one step—changing one product, making one better choice for your health and the environment—every time you shop, and let those green choices add up. 💛
3 Tips for Greener Groceries
Look for official seals (the butterfly, the frog, etc.) as opposed to unofficial labels and phrases.
Shop organic as much as possible. (If cost is an issue, try to at least avoid the Dirty Dozen.)
Rethink the places you shop rather than getting bogged down with all the products. If the farmer or supplier or grocer cares, they will vet the products for you!
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