Hormel sued over ‘natural’ pork claims

Hormel Foods Corp.’s claims that certain of its pork products are “natural” are deceiving consumers, the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) alleges in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in the District of Columbia Superior Court.  The complaint takes aim at the Austin, Minn.-based processor’s Natural Choice brand of lunch meats and bacon, pitting its slogan “Make the Natural Choice” and claims like “100% Natural” and “All-Natural” against consumers’ understanding of what “natural” means.   The lawsuit cites Consumer Reports research that found that most consumers believe “natural” to mean that animals were raised using "sustainable" farming techniques on "independent" family farms — as opposed to “factory farms” — and that the products are free of artificial ingredients. USDA’s definition of “natural” is: “A product containing no artificial ingredient or added color and is only minimally processed. Minimal processing means that the product was processed in a manner that does not fundamentally alter the product. The label must include a statement explaining the meaning of the term natural (such as "no artificial ingredients; minimally processed").”