Ingredient labels should be informative. But when they contain phrases like “natural and artificial flavors”, who can they really tell us about our food?
If you pay attention to the nutrition facts labels on packaged foods, you have probably seen the terms “natural flavorings” or “natural flavors”. According to experts, “natural flavor” is the fourth most common ingredient on labels, after salt, water, and sugar.
“Artificial flavors” also prevail on ingredient lists; Sometimes the combined term “natural and artificial flavors” is also possible to see. Overall, more than 2,600 flavoring substances have been classified as “safe”. However, that does not mean that these scents are not without controversy or confusion.
What are natural flavors?
Something can be labeled “natural flavor” or “natural flavor” as long as its important function is to provide flavor rather than nutritional value and is derived from one of the following sources:
- Spices
- Fruit or fruit juices
- Vegetables or vegetable juice
- Edible yeast
- Herbs, barks, buds, roots, leaves, or similar plant material.
- Meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, or dairy products.
Despite its name, most natural flavors are produced in a laboratory. Scientists take a natural food source, such as a fruit or a spice, and find ways to extract chemicals that capture the flavor of that source, but not its texture, fat content, or calorie content. This could be an essential oil, a resin, an essence, a distillate, or “any roasting, heating, or enzymolysis process.”
Ingredient labels sometimes refer to the source of the flavor : “natural strawberry flavor,” for example. However, they may not list a specific source if a combination of different natural flavors is used. Some common examples of natural flavors are:
- Vanillin : This vanilla extract is the most widely used flavor ingredient.
- Cinnamon Bark Extract – Known by the chemical names Cinnamomum zeylanicum Nees, Cinnamomum loureirii Blume, and Cinnamomum cassia Blume, these natural cinnamon flavors are produced through a chemical process called solvent extraction.
- Limonene : This compound is found in the essential oil of orange and lemon peel, and provides citrus flavor and aroma to many foods, fragrances and cleaning products.
- Natural Beef Flavor – A somewhat surprising ingredient found in McDonald’s potato chips, this beef-derived flavoring also contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk, which means the famous fries are non-vegetarian, dairy-free nor gluten.
You can think of the herbs and spices you add to your food as “natural flavors,” but by technical definition, that’s not true. Under food labeling guidelines, any substance obtained by “cutting, grinding, drying, pulping, or similarly processing tissue derived from fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, or poultry” is considered food, rather than flavor.
In a list of ingredients, these substances would be listed by their common names: onion powder or garlic powder , for example. The same goes for salt: any natural salt, when added to a product, is listed as “salt” and not as “natural flavors”.
What are artificial flavors?
Artificial flavors are not that different from natural flavors. They are created by chemical processes, but due to the source from which they derive, they do not meet the requirements of a natural flavor.
For strawberry gum or ice cream flavoring to be labeled “natural flavor,” for example, it must be derived from strawberries. If it is derived from something else, even from another plant or fruit, it should be labeled “artificial flavor”.
Artificial flavors can also be derived from inedible substances , such as oil or wood pulp. In fact, many flavors that can be produced “naturally” can also be produced with “artificial” ingredients; The final chemical compounds (and the flavor that is produced) are identical, although the original sources are different.
It is usually less expensive and more environmentally friendly to create something in a laboratory, especially if the right soil or climate is not available. Let’s take vanilla extract as an example: vanilla beans can only be grown in tropical areas and it is a very sensitive plant, making it easier to recreate those flavors with other ingredients.
Some other examples of flavors that are often artificially produced are:
- Diacetyl: a by-product of fermentation that produces a butter flavor, used in microwave popcorn.
- Isoamyl Acetate : The main flavor of bananas, made by mixing alcohol with an acid.
- Methyl Anthranilate : A compound found in grapes (but more commonly made from petroleum) used to flavor grape candy and soda.
Are natural flavors healthier than artificial ones?
When it comes to choosing between natural and artificial flavors, there isn’t much difference in nutrition. Neither natural nor artificial flavors contain calories, fat, sugars or other nutritional properties.
The chemical composition of a natural and artificial flavor can be exactly the same. And sometimes, artificial flavors actually have less chemicals than natural ones.
However, there is one thing that could cause a potential health risk: If you have an allergy, it is important to check and see where those flavors come from, natural or artificial . The law requires food manufacturers to list the top eight food allergens on food labels. But for people with less common allergies or intolerances, it may be necessary to learn more about ingredients that are unclear.
Concerns have been raised about some specific scents over the years. In the early 2000s, for example, diacetyl, a synthetic butter flavor, was found to cause lung damage in people who inhaled it while working in microwave popcorn processing plants.
However, in general, anything under a flavor or flavoring has been classified as safe to eat , at least in the very small amounts present in those foods. Artificial flavors can get a bad rap thanks to unreliable sources and fear smugglers.
But what is really concerning is that if you are consuming many natural and artificial flavors, it means that you are consuming many processed foods , which can be bad for your health for other reasons. When shopping for packaged foods, look at the full list of ingredients. A good rule of thumb is to choose items with the fewest ingredients and the fewest added chemicals, flavors, and preservatives.
What about monosodium glutamate?
When people think of added flavorings in food, they often think of MSG or monosodium glutamate. This additive is commonly found in soups, canned vegetables, bag potato chips, Chinese food, and processed meats.
MSG occurs naturally in some foods, including tomatoes and cheeses. But it is also produced synthetically and added to packaged or prepared foods as a flavor enhancer.
However, when it comes to food labeling, MSG does not appear as natural or artificial flavors . Just as salt should be listed by its common name on ingredient lists, so should monosodium glutamate.
Over the years, the FDA has received many reports of adverse reactions to MSG, including headache, sweating, numbness, a pounding heartbeat, chest pain, and nausea. These reactions are known as the MSG symptom complex , but no published study has found a definitive link between the additive and these specific symptoms.
Natural flavors in sparkling water
One place where the term “natural flavors” is clearly seen is on the ingredient label for mineral water fruit waters. These products have become very popular, thanks to their promise of more flavor fizz without the calories.
But how can these statements be true? How can a “natural” product taste like fruit without calories? Basically this goes back to the science of flavor extraction. It is possible to distill the essence of a fruit and include it in such small quantities that it does not contribute to the calories of a drink.
Flavored alcoholic beverages made with natural flavors can certainly be a healthy alternative to consuming sugar-sweetened soft drinks or high-calorie fruit juices. But I recommend reading the entire ingredient label carefully. Sometimes a drink can be naturally favored, but it may contain artificial sweetener.
And while sparkling and sparkling water is delightful, keep in mind that drinking sparkling water can cause unpleasant side effects for some people. It will always be better to squeeze a little lemon or orange in the water, to give it flavor.
