Beechnut Baby Food - thumbs up or down?

[jujubee]

Beechnut Baby Food doesn't offer an organic line. They have this to say instead:

Beech Nut Baby Food

Natural vs. Organic Food


At Beech-Nut®, we make baby foods using basic, wholesome foods. We pick high-quality fruits, vegetables, dairy and meats, and don’t use unnecessary additives. We believe your baby doesn't need added sugar, modified starch, salt or harsh spices. For over 75 years, we’ve been making sure our baby food is not only nutritious, but also delicious. It reflects our philosophy of making baby food with all-natural ingredients, plus the vitamins and minerals your baby needs.

As part of our commitment to giving babies a healthy start in life, we've taken a leadership role in keeping pesticide residues to an absolute minimum. Our pesticide standards are significantly stricter than the Federal requirements. In fact, levels in our baby foods are negligible to non-detectable, making our products comparable to those containing organically grown fruits and vegetables.

If you're confused about "all-natural" and "organic" labels, following is a guide to the differences between the two.

Natural
"Natural" is described as "existing in nature" or "not artificial."

Natural also describes our philosophy about making baby foods with basic, wholesome foods and no unnecessary additives like sugar, modified starch, salt or harsh spices.

Organic
"Organic" refers to a farming technique that doesn't use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides on land and crops. But you may be surprised to learn that "organic" doesn't necessarily mean "pesticide-free."

We at Beech-Nut care about your baby's health as well as the environment. Our pesticide standards are significantly stricter than the Federal requirements. Beech-Nut baby food is a natural, nutritious supplement to your baby's diet of breast milk or formula.

What do you guys think? Believable or not? If they're already offering a "comparable" product to organic, why not go the extra distance and obtain organic ingredients?

[Prizm99]

My first thoughts are...why are they so much cheaper then???
Secondly, if they are stricter than the federal requirements, why don't they state something on the jars that they don't use pesticides or get certified? Stating "natural" can mean so many things since there are no standards on what natural means. I think that if Beech-nut really is pesticide free then they are loosing out on customers because people aren't aware of it since it's not stated on their jars.

[OHeather]

The statements are just elusive enough to make the normal consumer/customer say, "Yeah, okay, that sounds good" without going any farther. How much more strict are they with pesticide use? I don't think that they are pesticide-free, b/c they don't say that specifically, just that the use of them is minimal.

Maybe they are on the way to being organic but not quite there yet? I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt...whether warranted or not. I just made my own baby food, so I didn't worry about all the baby food companies.

[queenofthehivemomof5]

If they are pesticide free why not just get organic certified...Im sure a big company can afford it.

Organic does not mean pesticide free...they are right. But the pesticides they can use have to meet organic standards. I would rather have organic pesticides than chemical ones. And if they are using NO pesticides organic or otherwise how do they keep bug problems in thier crops and if bugs are eating up thier crops are they doing an injustic to the land by letting pests eat the crops and wasting resources?

Oh too many questions and not enough sleep.

[kertz]

Actually Certified organic foods must meet the strict standards set by the USDA’s National Organic Program. Organic farming boosts soil fertility and leaves the planet in better condition for generations to come.Gerber has produced quality organic food since 1997

[Berkley69]

If it's not organic they can say wholesome and natural and we use stricter standards all they want - they only want to make money.