How you should read the new labels
By Elif Sinanoglu

(MONEY Magazine) – ''When consumers walk down the aisles of their supermarkets these days,'' says Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, ''they encounter scores of confusing and unsubstantiated claims.'' As a result, Leahy sponsored the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, which, as of next year, will set standards for food labeled organic. Use of other terms requires approval by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Here's what the different labels mean: -- Certified organic signals that a for-profit firm or ''certifying agency'' made sure the food was grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers and processed without chemical additives or preservatives. The agency makes annual farm visits. Look for seals from these well-known agencies: OCIA (Organic Crop Improvement Association), CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers), FVO (Farm Verified Organic), OGBA (Organic Growers and Buyers Association). -- Hormone-free: Mostly found on beef or lamb, this term guarantees that growth hormones, also called anabolic steroids, were not administered to livestock -- a practice that produces animals with 25% more fat and results in drug-laden products. According to Chris Kilham, author of The Whole Food Bible (Addison-Wesley, $15.95), 25% of the U.S.' milk supply contains residues of sulfamethazine, an antibiotic that is illegally given to dairy cattle to treat diseases often caused by using growth hormones. -- Free-range on any packaged meat means the livestock were raised in clean, spacious areas. That decreases chances of infection and results in animals with less fat generally; hormones and antibiotics are not administered to such animals. -- Natural, when applied to meat, is defined by the USDA as not highly processed, and guaranteed to be free of chemical additives. Otherwise beware: Quaker Oats cold cereal, for example, packs 28% highly refined sucrose in its natural oats. Check the ingredients on the label. -- Unbleached/unbromated tells you that the grains used in a product haven't been treated with bleaching agents such as chlorine dioxide and benzoyl peroxide or bromates, which make dough rise more quickly.