I am fortunate to get to drive around the beautiful state of Ohio on a regular basis for my job. On occasion, I will pick a series of back roads instead of the highway to enjoy some of Ohio’s more hidden treasures.

This is especially true when autumn unfurls its tapestry of brilliant leaves beneath blue skies. Even when pressed for time, it is hard to resist the chance to take a few extra minutes to enjoy autumn’s beauty from a back road. Sometimes how you get there is as important as the final destination.

More than ever before, it seems, people are interested in taking a similar scenic route with their food. With a society further removed from the farm than at any other point in human history, people want to know more about how food gets to their plate. The food itself is important, but more people are putting more emphasis on how it was produced. The dramatic expansion of labeled differentiation for commodity food products such as meat, milk, vegetables and eggs is a clear indicator of this trend.

“We’ve seen the labels in the meat industry just go crazy in the last 10 to 15 years and I see no reason why we would see a change in that trend,” said Sam Roberts, assistant vice president of corporate marketing for United Producers, Inc. “Before that, the meat case at the grocery was all pretty much the same. Here it is. Buy it.”

More than 20 years ago, a group of Ohio cattle producers started one of the country’s first and most successful meat labeling programs – Certified Angus Beef. The program was based on the beef products that met a set of standards to ensure a high quality product.

“Now everybody is trying to look for some way to distinguish themselves,” Roberts said.

As a result, there are now enough labels out there to make any consumer’s head spin trying to keep them all straight. Each label has a different set of standards, requirements and specifications ranging from very strict and rigorous to virtually none at all. What do they all mean?

To find the best label in the grocery to fit their needs, consumers need to start by deciding what exactly they want.

“Consumers need to decide what it is they want from their food, because they can probably find it out there,” Roberts said. “Read the label and do some research to find out exactly what the labels are claiming. Read the fine print.”

For the most part, the details behind food labeling concern the manner in which the animal or crop was raised, which is important to a growing segment of the population. Labels including “organic,” “cage-free,” “locally-produced,” “antibiotic-free,” and “hormone-free” have specific requirements for how the food was produced, but it is important to note that they have no scientific difference in the final food product, according to the USDA.

“There will be a lot of people who argue based on science on both sides of the issue whether these are better for you or not,” Roberts said. “There are organizations out there that would use emotion rather than science-based facts to influence consumer decisions. There is no science out there that proves that most of these products are any better for you, but it is the consumers’ prerogative to buy them. People assume products like all-natural beef that has not been treated with antibiotics is better for them and the animal. This may be the case, but it also may not be the case. There have been a lot of misconceptions out there.”

In terms of the quality and nutritive value when it gets to your dinner plate, a steak is a steak and a pepper is a pepper. Most of the time, the label is only about how it got there.

Some people will always want the easiest, cheapest and fastest food available, which is fine, and the industry will continue to provide it for them. Labels are for those that are more interested in taking a little more time and expense to go the scenic route.