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Editors Note: This is a guest post from Kim Carlson and her green your cuisine suggestions. Kim is the founder of The EarthSmart Consumer and author of the new book, Green Your Work.

Hone your label reading skills – it was a bit perplexing when nutrition labels were first introduced on packaging.  Now that we’ve mastered the current labels, there are a multitude of newer acronyms related to the production of the food in addition to the nutrients — GMO, FTF, HF, rBGH, etc.  
 

GMO Free – Is free of Genetically Modified Organism. The plant or animal that has not been genetically engineered. Many industries support the development and use of GMOs while many consumers and organizations question their safety and have called for adequate and independent testing of GMO products.
 

Certified Organic – Food produced without antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, irradiation or bioengineering.  Choosing organic avoids potential health threatening chemicals and prevents damaging chemicals from getting into our waterways.  It also lessens cruelty to animals and helps maintain fertile soil.  
 

Free Range –  “Free range” is only defined by the USDA for poultry production, and need only mean that the bird has had some access to the outdoors each day, which could be a dirty or concrete feedlot. USDA considers five minutes of open-air access each day to be adequate.
 

RBGH free– One of the most well-known and controversial hormones used in farming is recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone, which is genetically engineered and injected into dairy cattle.  This genetically engineered hormone forces cows to artificially increase milk production by 10 to 15 percent.
 

Natural — USDA guidelines state that “Natural” meat and poultry products can only undergo minimal processing and cannot contain artificial colors, artificial flavors, preservatives, or other artificial ingredients. However, “natural” foods are not necessarily sustainable, organic, humanely raised, or free of hormones and antibiotics. The label “natural” is virtually meaningless.
 

Sustainable Agriculture — Farming that provides a secure living for farm families; maintains the natural environment and resources; supports the rural community; and offers respect and fair treatment to all involved, from farm workers to consumers to the animals raised for food.