“Natural” is the verbal equivalent to putting a leaf on your logo—and it means just as much.

A supplication to one of my favorite companies, Earth Balance, to join Ben & Jerry’s and cut the by-definition deceptive term “natural” from its marketing and packaging. Agree with me? Show your dislike for “natural” and share this on your wall or tweet this post, let’s build a mini-movement—a company as aware and appreciative of new and social media as Earth Balance might just consider changing its marketing.

Because that’s all it is: marketing.

Excerpt:

…Ben & Jerry’s, the Vermont ice cream brand that is synonymous with funky flavors and environmentally and socially responsible behavior, agreed to phase out its use of the term “All Natural” for ice creams and frozen yogurts that contain processed or artificial ingredients…for the rest.

Before: 

After:

Because “pesticide” is just a fancy word for “poison.”

Flavor first.

Why “pick on” Earth Balance? Because they’re one of my favorite companies—a thoughtful, mindful company that just might choose to be among the first “natural products” companies to get more specific about the positive things that their product does offer.

Non-gmo? Say so. Fair-trade? Say so.

Natural? Not sure what that means—and neither is the FDA.

“Natural” is not a term regulated or defined by the FDA—or anyone. So you could pour toxic neon glue into a pretty plastic package and call it 100% natural—after all, as Republican friends of mine like to say, chemicals come from the earth, too.

Buy organic.

Many companies—including one of my faves, Earth Balance (which has an organic soy milk out in stores, now)—offer a range of conventional (pesticides, genetically-modified-organisms) and “all natural” (which sometimes means gmo-free, as in the case of EB) to organic products.

Care not only about our earth’s health, but yours and your family’s, too? There’s only one choice.

Buy organic.