The term “natural flavours” may have appeared in ingredient lists. These are flavouring ingredients that food producers include in their goods to enhance flavour.
However, this phrase can be extremely ambiguous and even deceptive.
You might have noticed “natural flavours” on a list of ingredients. These are things that food manufacturers put in their products to make them taste better.
But this term can be hard to understand and even lead people to be misled.
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What Are Natural Flavours?
The Food and Drug Administration Code of Federal Regulations says that natural flavours are made from substances that are taken from plants or animals.
- spices
- edible yeast, root leaves, herbs, bark, buds, or plant material
- dairy products like fermented products
- meat, poultry, or seafood
- fruit or fruit juice
- vegetables or vegetable juice
- eggs
The animal or plant parts can be heated or roasted to get these tastes.
To meet the demand for natural flavours, manufacturers are also using enzymes to get flavour compounds from plants more and more.
Natural flavours like mango flavour or cola flavour are added to food or drinks to make them taste better, not because they are good for you.
These flavours are used in a lot of different foods and drinks.
According to research, they are the fourth most common ingredient listed on food labels.
What Does the Word “Natural” Mean?
When consumers see the word “natural” printed on the packaging of food products, they are more likely to have favourable impressions about those foods, including the product’s level of healthiness.
On the other hand, given that the FDA has not provided an official definition for this term, it is possible to apply it to nearly any kind of food.
In the instance of a flavour that is derived from natural sources, the source can either be a plant or an animal. Synthetic chemicals, on the other hand, are what serve as the inspiration for the creation of artificial flavours.
Importantly, whether they are natural or manufactured, all flavours contain chemicals in some form or another. In point of fact, every element in the universe, including water, can be broken down into its component chemicals.
Flavourists are food scientists that have received specialised training in the creation of natural flavours, which are complicated combinations.
Nutrition experts and public interest groups have criticised the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA), a trade association that analyses the safety of flavour additives in the United States, for failing to disclose safety data on natural flavours. A division of the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association, FEMA is a trade group in its own right.
When consumed in small amounts, natural flavours extracted from foods appear to be safe for human consumption in the vast majority of cases.
However, because natural flavour mixtures can contain a wide variety of compounds, it is likely that some people could have an unfavorable reaction to them.
Research into the components that make up a natural flavouring is of the utmost significance for persons who suffer from food allergies or adhere to specific dietary regimens.
If you suffer from food allergies but still want to eat out, make sure to ask for a list of the ingredients. Although it is not required by law for restaurants to give this information, many restaurants do so in order to attract new consumers and keep the ones they already have.
Should You Consume Natural Flavours?
Natural flavours must have come from either plants or animals. But natural flavours can be very processed and have a lot of chemicals added to them.
In fact, sometimes the chemical makeup and health effects of natural flavours aren’t all that different from those of artificial flavours.
From a health and safety perspective, try to choose whole foods that are fresh or frozen whenever you can.
Food companies only have to list flavours on ingredient lists. They don’t have to say where the flavours came from or what chemicals were used to make them.
You can ask the food company directly by phone or email where the natural flavours in a product come from and what chemicals they contain.
Environmental Working Group, a non-profit research group, says that these mixtures can have more than 100 different chemicals besides the original flavour source. These chemicals include preservatives, solvents, and other substances.
“Incidental additives” is the term for these.
But food companies don’t have to say if these additives come from natural or artificial sources. As long as the original source of the flavour comes from a plant or an animal, it is considered a natural flavour.
Also, because there is no official definition of the word “natural,” flavours made from crops that have been genetically modified can also be called “natural.”
