Are you a label reader? I’ve long scrutinized ingredient lists in the grocery store aisle- starting years ago with calories and fat, of course, and once I became a mom, checking for sugar, corn syrup and hormone-free. Then, as I learned more about quality pet nutrition, I started to scope out dog food with a lean protein as the first ingredient.
Ingredients matter beyond we put into our bodies too, but far fewer people read the labels on their household cleaners, personal care products and paper products. I rarely do, even though during my career I’ve counted Seventh Generation, Marcal’s Small Steps and Paw Safe as clients. These brands all made a point of listing their natural ingredients and substitutes for harsh chemicals. In addition, Seventh Generation and Marcal also took tougher advocacy positions, calling on industry to mandate ingredient disclosures.
Indeed as the nation talks about breast cancer prevention and research during October, shouldn’t the conversation also extend to address the proven and potential negative health effects of the chemicals that are in our every day household products – in and on our bodies, as well as whether it ends up in our drinking water after going down the drain. The call for that sort of linkage so far is limited to more radical consumers and natural product brands.
