By Michelle Miller, Farm Babe    http://www.farmbabe.org/

What is a typical consumer supposed to do with the overload and bombardment of today’s food labels? It’s very clear that food companies will stop at nothing to sell a product. But just how many of these labels hold merit?

I decided to reach out to fellow farmers and food experts to find out which ones are the most misleading. Here they are in no particular order:

1. “No hormones added.” Growth hormones are allowed in beef cattle but are not permitted in poultry or pork. When you see a food label on chicken that says “no hormones or steroids added,” read the asterisks and fine print: **federal law strictly prohibits the use of hormones in poultry. It does not even exist.

2. “Antibiotic free.” When farmers use antibiotics in livestock by law they must go through a withdrawal period to ensure no antibiotic residues are left in the animal. This means that all meat is antibiotic free. No need to pay extra for antibiotic free when all of it is antibiotic free!

3. “Organic.” Up to 95 percent of consumers are buying organic because they believe it means “pesticide free.” This is false. Organic crops can and do use pesticides, especially on larger scale operations for grocery stores. These chemicals are “naturally derived,” but this means nothing in terms of toxicity or effectiveness. Sometimes organic pesticides are applied more frequently than their non-organic counterparts.

4. Cage-free chicken: Let it be known that all meat chickens are cage free. Some egg laying chickens may not always be cage free, but cages have generally been used for the best interest of the birds.

5. rBST free: BST is a hormone that exists within dairy cows, naturally. rBST is just a synthetic version that gives cows a little more of a hormone they already have, which can allow them to produce more milk. There is no nutritional difference between a cow that’s been treated with or without rBST…. read more here