When Hormel Foods uses the term “Natural” on its product labels or in its advertisements, that term has the following meaning, which is set by the USDA. When Hormel Foods uses the term “Natural” on its labels or in its advertisements, it uses that term as the USDA has defined it and does not intend to convey anything more or different about the products.

USDA Natural Claims

The term “natural” may be used on labeling for meat products and poultry products, provided the applicant for such labeling demonstrates that:

1. the product does not contain any artificial flavor or flavoring, coloring ingredient, or chemical preservative (as defined in 21 CFR 101.22), or any other artificial or synthetic ingredient; and
2. the product and its ingredients are not more than minimally processed. Minimal processing may include:
   1. those traditional processes used to make food edible or to preserve it or to make it safe for human consumption, e.g., smoking, roasting, freezing, drying, and fermenting, or
   2. those physical processes which do not fundamentally alter the raw product and/or which only separate a whole, intact food into component parts, e.g., grinding meat, separating eggs into albumen and yolk, and pressing fruits to produce juices.

All products claiming to be natural or a natural food should be accompanied by a brief statement which explains what is meant by the term natural, i.e., that the product is a natural food because it contains no artificial ingredients and is only minimally processed. This statement should appear directly beneath or beside all natural claims or, if elsewhere on the principal display panel, an asterisk should be used to tie the explanation to the claim.