What is Natural Flavor Anyway?

If you’ve read the ingredients or looked at the food label on any packaged good, you’ve undoubtedly seen the term “natural flavor”, but have you ever wondered what that actually means? Although many people assume natural flavors are simply that; the flavor from a natural source, that is not exactly the case. In fact, natural flavors and artificial flavors have a lot more in common than you may think. So, allow me to break down the research on natural flavors to help you determine if you should be consuming them or not.

What is natural flavor?

According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, natural flavors are “substances that impart flavors that have been derived from a plant or animal source”, while the FDA defines natural flavors as “the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.”

While all of that nutrition jargon may seem rather confusing, there are two key points to take away from these definitions; natural flavors must come from plant or animal sources, and natural flavors are created through some form of processing.

Natural Flavors vs. Artificial Flavors

Although one might assume that natural flavors and artificial flavors are very different that is not the case. Natural and artificial flavors are both food additives that food manufacturers can use to flavor food, however, the primary difference between the two is the source from which they are made. Both natural and artificial flavors are created through chemical processes and are manufactured in a lab by a ‘flavorist’, the only difference is the fact that artificial flavors are made from synthetic sources while natural flavors must be made from plant or animal sources.

Understandably, this difference can be confusing to consumers given how similar in nature they actually are. The difference really comes down to the origin of the molecule that was used to create the flavor; was it natural or synthetic? For instance, the same way you can make a shirt out of polyester or cotton, you can make an apple drink out of artificial apple flavor or natural apple flavor. Although the end flavor may be similar, the source used to create it is very different. Simply put, natural flavors are made from natural sources, but the format in which you are consuming them is not necessarily.

Where do natural flavors come from?

Although many natural flavors originate from the flavor they provide, not all-natural flavors are derived from their natural source. Although there are natural flavors that come directly from the corresponding source, there are hundreds of natural flavors that have been created by food chemists that are in fact from a natural source, but not of the flavor which they are creating. For example, amyl acetate is a compound distilled from bananas to create banana flavor, while natural coconut flavor is made from a compound called massoya lactone which comes from the bark of the Massoya tree grown in Malaysia, while natural vanilla flavor is sometimes made from the slightly sweet substance found in the anal secretions of beavers. Albeit all of the flavors are natural in some way, shape, or form, they may not be the natural form of the flavor they are providing.

What foods contain natural flavors?

The use of natural flavors by food manufacturers is so common that they are the fourth most common ingredient listed on food labels. Natural flavors are found in all types of food products and supplements including sauces, cereals, granola bars, herbal teas, flavored waters, juices, protein powders, and greens powders, just to name a few.

At this time, the only way to determine if a product contains natural flavor is to read the ingredients, however, the most confusing part is that we are unable to determine what the actual source of natural flavor in a product is because food manufacturers aren’t required to list these exact ingredients. Although we can assume that the flavor is from a natural source, it is impossible to determine the specific source without asking the food manufacturer directly.

So, should we eat natural flavors?

Generally speaking, there is little if any information or studies on the impact of natural flavors, and without knowing the exact source of the natural flavor in question it is certainly tough to say. However, as with most food additives, it would be safe to assume that the concern is with the dose. Consumed from time to time in small amounts I don’t see natural flavor being a large concern. As always, the foundation of any good diet is centered around whole foods, and if this is the case, a bit of natural flavor sprinkled in should not be too much of a problem.