February 2009
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“Natural”
Snapple

This "natural" bottled tea contains high-fructose corn syrup, a highly processed form of sugar. Surprised? You're not alone. The vast majority of respondents to a 2007 Consumer Reports National Research Center poll said that they expected "natural" foods and drinks to be free of artificial or highly processed ingredients. But the Food and Drug Administration does not officially define the term "natural." And when it comes to meat, consumers expect "natural" to mean that it comes from animals that were raised without drugs or chemicals. But "natural" meat could come from animals fed hormones and antibiotics. That's because while the USDA does regulate the use of the term for meat and poultry, the current rule pertains only to how the cut of meat was processed, not to how the animal was raised or what it ate.

 
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