I don't understand why "natural flavors" is allowed on food labels
perennialfan275
The same goes for "artificial flavors" too. We deserve to know what we're putting into our bodies, right? I feel like the term "natural flavors" is not specific enough for me to make an informed decision about whether I want to be putting this into my body. Let me be perfectly clear with this. I'm not asking for anyone to share their secret recipe or anything. I just want to know what's in the food I'm eating. That's it. I seriously don't understand why the FDA allows such a vague term to exist on nutrition labels. Anyone else feel this way?
Browse Gardening and Landscaping Stories on Houzz See all Stories
Herbs
Dry Your Herbs and Enjoy the Flavor of Summer All Year
Make fall and winter meals even better by preserving your backyard herb harvest now. Here’s your step-by-step guide
Full Story
Edible Gardens
Why Grow Quince? For Beauty, Fragrance and Old-Time Flavor
Delightfully perfumed fruit and lovely spring blossoms make this apple and pear cousin worth a spot in the garden
Full Story
Kitchen Design
A Contemporary Kitchen With French Cafe Flavor
By Natalie Wain
Interior designer Tom Long gets creative with materials to build a custom kitchen with a dash of old-school French charm
Full Story
As a full-service, family-owned remodeling company in New Albany, OH, we strive to bring our clients incredible... Read More
Our well qualified and certified team of hard working craftsman and specialists have a proven record of quality... Read More
Absolutely! My husband is very sensitive to MSG and I do believe it's sometimes listed as "Natural flavors". Not helpful!
I think it's allowed because it's purely a marketing term. Fluff.
I believe that the various glutamates can be included in 'natural flavors' but that added MSG itself cannot, it must be labelled. I am sensitive to MSG also, Arkansas girl.
https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/questions-and-answers-monosodium-glutamate-msg
Arsenic would be a natural flavor too...
At the risk of sounding flippant, if this matters to you, why are you eating processed foods?
"At the risk of sounding flippant, if this matters to you, why are you eating processed foods?"
My thoughts, exactly!
“All three experts say that ultimately, natural and artificial flavors are not that different. While chemists make natural flavors by extracting chemicals from natural ingredients, artificial flavors are made by creating the same chemicals synthetically.”
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/11/03/560048780/is-natural-flavor-healthier-than-artificial-flavor
If they’re grabbing a flavor component from a strawberry, it may or may not be ”strawberry flavor.” The label wouldn’t say ”strawberries” because strawberries aren’t in the ingredients. So what to call it if not natural flavor?
I think that the choice of what foods one should eat, and the issue of truth in labelling, are separate issues. I think labels should be descriptive enough so that the consumer has an idea of what is in the food and can make an informed decision.
I think if you're worried about what's in your food, don't eat food that contains a list of ingredients. Eat fresh meat, fruit and vegetables. It's healthier anyway.
I've not seen "natural flavors" on anything that I buy, and therefore it is not an issue for me. If it bothers you, do not buy anything that has "natural flavors" listed as an ingredient.
What have you bought that has this in it?
What I try to avoid is anything that has high fructose corn syrup as an ingredient, and I always do read ingredient lists. I've been making my own tonic water so that I can avoid this ingredient.
The wording that bothers me most is...."may contain", etc., etc. If you have a specific allergy
to something, "may contain" on the ingredient list sure doesn't help.
How much more do you want to pay for food? How much more expensive do you want food to be for other people?
Nickel, could you explain your comment? Are you saying limiting "natural flavors" would make food too expensive? Processed food is far more expensive than whole food.
Are you saying limiting "natural flavors" would make food too expensive? -- no. I'm saying that adding more regulation will increase production costs. And wondering if anyone would accept a cost increase for just this purpose.
May contain often is because the equipment is used to make more than one product so that even with the best cleaning the possibility is there or it can be they will use different but essentially identical ingredients depending on availability. Food labels have to be small enough to fit on the food. They often don't list the proprietary herbs and spices. For the sensitive it has to be best to start with whole foods. I cook most things from scratch mostly because it tastes better but I also have to avoid onions. Onions are everywhere!
It's been an issue for about a decade now. All they have to do is start with something that is "natural."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh37RbRBFKM
Well, it is kinda asking for their recipes, which falls under trade secrets. A lot of those natural flavors are nasty stuff too. Manufacturers often use a secretion from beaver anal glands for vanilla flavor. That falls under "natural," but no, the company is not going to put "Beaver Butt Secretions" on their labels.
The FDA checks to see if things are safe to consume, not desirable. I feel like the FDA is mainly there to help protect big sugar daddy corporations like the food industry and pharmaceutical companies from lawsuits. I feel like they are not truly concerned for the consumer, or else they would regulate things like the word "natural" on product packaging, as well as other things that are doing harm to the general public, like shady supplement companies.
It is easy, if not convenient or desirable to avoid such though.
All that being said, I still buy things with both natural and artificial flavors. Its no big deal to me. I look at my life choices in general and how I live, and I realize that the artificially sweetened, strawberry flavored sparkling water I am currently sipping on is the least of my lifestyle concerns. Heck, even if I were concerned and only ate fresh, whole foods, there is still a risk of illness from E.coli or listeria or salmonella with those foods.
I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with this. This would in no way whatsoever be asking for their recipe. All we want to know is what is in the food. They don't need to say how much of an ingredient there is.