VeganicWhat it means: Your organic carrot might be vegan, but was the organic fertilizer used to grow it also vegan? Shocker: Dirty, old organic farming relies on natural fertilizers like animal waste, bone meal, and blood meal. But thankfully, there’s now veganic farming, which uses only plant-based fertilizers like mulch or vegetable compost that are infinitely more pure.Where you’ll find it: This is slapped on foods like flour, bread, and greens that come from veganic farms, of which there aren’t very many.Should you care? Only if you’re the hardest of hardcore vegans—and even then, we wouldn’t really recommend it. Since veganic food seems pretty hard to track down (according to goveganic.net, there are 11 veganic farms in the entire country), your quest for the purest food possible could mean you end up going hungry. MORE: Vegan Shocker: Wine May Contain Animal Products Paleo-FriendlyWhat it means: Consider this the Paleo version of “all-natural” (if all-natural actually meant anything). In addition to being free of artificial colors, preservatives, and flavors, Paleo-Friendly foods also can’t contain any legumes, soy, grains, and pseudograins (seeds that are treated like grains) like amaranth or quinoa.Where you’ll find it: This official certification shows up on packaged foods that are traditionally not Paleo-friendly like pasta or muffins—ergo, the label to let you know. For example, Capello’s Gluten Free and Mikey’s Muffins both proudly proclaim Paleo-Friendly status.Should you care? If you’re Paleo and don’t feel like taking 2 seconds to read a packaged food’s ingredient list, this certification is for you. Paleo ApprovedWhat it means: Not to be confused with Paleo-Friendly, Paleo Approved refers to products from a farm or ranch that uses sustainable farming methods similar to organic, but feeds animals only species-appropriate diets. For example, Paleo Approved cows eat what they were supposed to eat when they were their wild bovines grazing Paleo-era fields, e.g., grass and no organic corn or soy.Where you’ll find it: For now, it’s hard to say, since paleoapproved.com doesn’t seem to list any farms that are certified.Should you care? If you’re into grass-fed foods, for sure. But you could also just look for meat labeled 100% grass-fed, too, which might be easier. MORE: The Real Paleo Diet Was Actually Super Gross Non-ETOWhat it means: A food that says it’s non-ETO hasn’t been sterilized with ethylene oxide, a gas that kills fungus and bacteria. The gas is a carcinogen, but the EPA says that the tiny amounts used in food production are safe. Where you’ll find it: This label is most often slapped on spices, dried herbs, or the foods or supplements that contain them.Should you care? If price and availability aren’t an issue or you consume a ton of herbs, spices, or supplements, go ahead and opt for one that’s non-ETO. MORE: This Food Label Is Lying to You No HPPWhat it means: This refers to a food or drink that hasn’t been subject to high pressure processing (HPP), the cold pasteurization that prevents bacteria growth and extends shelf life. Some juice brands say that HPP makes a product less fresh and causes beneficial enzymes and nutrients to degrade.Where you’ll find it: You’ll only see this label on superfresh juices sold in juice bars or the stores where they’re made (or sometimes, in nearby fitness studios or coffee shops). Right now, big-name juice bars like Juice Press, Zula, and Juice Served Here tout that their juice is totally unpasteurized, which means that more will likely follow suit. Juices that are sold in places where they aren’t made (like a bottle of BluePrint juice sold at Whole Foods) are required by law to be pasteurized.Should you care? If you’re looking for the freshest juice possible, yes, then look for No-HPP (or other similar terms like unpasteurized or HPP-free). A juice with the stamp might last 2 or 3 days, tops, while an HPP one can sit in a refrigerator case for weeks.
