I’m a mom, a grandma and a farmer. I’m also a consumer and buy most of my food at my local grocery store. I’m grateful for the safest food supply in human history, and glad that there are rules in place that ensure its safety and regulate label claims so that they are truthful and accurate.

However, as I make my way around the store, I see many labels that bend the truth or perhaps are even outright deceptive. We are seeing this more and more.

The labels that irk me the most are those on meat that mention hormones. The misleading information and innuendos create needless fear and mistrust for consumers purchasing meat. I know this because of conversations I’ve had with my fellow shoppers. I know this because I raise the animals.

I also volunteer alongside a number of other farm women with a group called CommonGround. The group includes members from all over the United States and represents family farms of all sizes and types. The South Dakota gals I volunteer with focus on activities that allow us to visit with consumers about food and farming topics. We attend expos, conferences and participate in Farm to Fork dinners.

At every event I ask questions and encourage conversation. As a pig farmer, one question I always ask people is “What percentage of pork (or poultry) is raised in the U.S. without added hormones?” I even try to be helpful and give three answers to choose from: “Is it 50%, 75% or 100%?” Of all the times I have asked this question, (sadly) I have never had one person answer it correctly. The answer is 100%. Yes, it’s true: No pigs or poultry are given added hormones.

When I ask why they think added hormones are used, it always comes back to one answer — labels.

Hormones are not allowed in raising hogs or poultry. “No hormone” claims are required by law to have a disclaimer stating “federal regulation prohibits the use of hormones in pork (and poultry).” But let’s be honest; very few people read the mice-size type on the package back. And the companies involved in this deceptive marketing are banking on this confusion in their quest to insinuate that their product is superior to other pork or poultry on the market.

One company, Progresso Soup, has taken deceptive labeling one step further. It announced in September and now erroneously states on its website and in television commercials that its chicken is “hormone-free.” Instead of just being misleading, this is an outright lie. All living things, including animals and plants, have naturally occurring hormones, and there is no reason to fear that. In beef production, farmers and ranchers can choose to use hormone supplements. I am a beef farmer and like many other American beef farmers, I utilize an approved and safe hormone supplement in my calves during their finishing phase. This supplement helps cattle utilize their feed more efficiently, which means they need less feed and water to reach market weight. This practice uses technology to supplement nature to enhance the output, on the same input. That’s the definition of sustainability.

As a parent and grandparent, I understand that others just want real answers when they sit down for hamburgers or steak at dinnertime with their family. But as the first step in the process, I can assure them that the supplement is long gone by the time cattle go to market for processing, so the end result is little difference between supplemented and non-supplemented beef. Matter of fact, it is negligible. The difference in one serving of beef is tenths of a nanogram, which is like one blade of grass in a football field. As a mom and grandma, I have no concerns about feeding my family a safe and nutritious product.

As a farmer, I believe it is important to utilize all safe tools to reduce environmental impact and produce a safe, yet profitable product. This simple supplement helps us improve sustainability with no effect on food safety.

I think if all my fellow shoppers spent a day on the farm rather than reading misleading labels, they could make food choices with confidence and without unnecessary fear. I think it’s time we demand honesty and integrity in marketing practices by food product suppliers. Instead of capitalizing on fear and misleading consumers into buying a product that is lacking something it never had, maybe they could boast about how modern farm technologies were used to create safe and sustainable food products with your family and our planet in mind.

Greenway is a Mitchell, S.D., grain, cattle and pig producer. Her commentary first appeared on the Genetic Literacy Project website, geneticliteracyproject.org. Follow Greenway on Twitter at @greenwaypork.