If a food is labeled “natural” this neither means it is organic nor unprocessed nor pure nor free from pesticides. For anything other than meat or poultry there are no standards for the use of the word “natural” on food labels. However, for meat and poultry that is labeled “natural” this has nothing to do with what the animal ate or how it was raised for human consumption. It mostly means how the meat was processed and the additives that were used.
Remember, too often concerning too many food labels there is no government agency or independent organization that verifies what is printed on food labels before it is stamped on a product.
For example, when you see the food label “free range” chickens there is absolutely no assurance that the birds ever actually made it to the outside despite the pure, wholesome sounding name the words paint of livestock roaming around out in the sun enjoying themselves before the slaughtering process.
Moreover, “fresh” chicken in U.S. government terms means that the processed chicken is kept at 26 degress Fahrenheit and above. Consequently, a “fresh” broiler chicken is most likely to be hard enough to be used as a bowling ball but it can still be labeled as “fresh”.
SUPPLEMENTAL SOURCE: CONSUMER REPORTS MAGAZINE MARCH 2013