The definition of “natural flavor” under the Code of Federal Regulations is:
“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”.
Therefore, natural flavor includes any substance extracted from plant or animal matter. It doesn’t mean that they don’t use any pesticides, growth hormones, genetically-engineered ingredients, or antibiotics. Foods labelled “natural” do not have any government controls beyond standard regulations and health codes. The label is a marketing tool only.
This definition also in no way implies that natural lemon flavoring is made with lemons or anything of the sort. Heck, lemon flavoring could be made from processed baby koala fur and it could still be labelled “natural flavoring”. That one is a joke, but the truth isn’t really any less bizarre.
The reason that artificial colors and flavors are used is because when foods are heavily processed to withstand long periods on a grocer’s shelf, they become devoid of nutrients, color and flavor, so they must be added back in.
MSG is hidden in processed food all the time. It has more than 25 names other than monosodium glutamate, often autolyzed yeast extract or hydrolyzed soy protein. It meets the definition of natural flavors because it comes from glutamate which is found in nature, but MSG is still a known excitotoxin. As a flavoring, it has a savory taste, but it is used so extensively because it’s also responsible for foods like cookies and chips having an addictive quality. It’s associated with obesity, migraines, fatigue, depression, brain lesions, neuro-endocrine disorders like diabetes, and neurodegenerative disease like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
MSG is used in rat studies because it triples the amount of insulin produced, creating obese diabetic rats, “MSG-treated Rats”. The FDA sets no limit on amount that can be added to food. Former head of the FDA Dr. David Kessler believes this needs to stop and said in an interview with CBS about food flavoring, “We’re living in a food carnival. These flavors are so stimulating they hijack our brain.”
If MSG doesn’t freak you out, castoreum might. Castoreum is mostly used as a part of “natural” vanilla and strawberry flavors and is a “bitter, orange-brown, odiferous, oil secretion found in two sacs between the anus and external genitalia of beavers”. I couldn’t make this sh*t up if I tried. It’s used in soft and hard candies, chewing gum, gravies, baked goods, frozen dairy, meat products, alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, like iced tea, and deserts like pudding and gelatin. It’s also used in the perfume industry for “fine leathery nuances.”
Carmine or Natural Red #4 is a component pink foods like strawberry and raspberry yogurt and pop-tarts. It’s made from crushed female cochineal beetles, who become red in color after fertilization. It included in labeling by name more now due to a change in policy after an outcry from vegans who learned they were unknowingly eating bugs, but it seems to still sneak in under “natural color” or “natural flavor”. I don’t know about you, but it kind of makes me nervous about Natural Reds 1-3. While eating beetle and beaver parts is probably not inherently harmful for you, though I can’t speak for how processing affects them, it is shocking that this is standard practice and yet most of us still think “natural orange flavor” is made with oranges.
The only way to figure out what the “natural flavors” are in your food product is to call the company and ask, but they often won’t tell you. That’s really unsettling. The difference between “natural flavoring” and “artificial flavoring” is that natural flavoring came from some source found in nature before it was heavily processed, while artificial flavoring has no natural origin at all. So, processed beaver bum falls under the umbrella of “natural”. Both natural flavors and artificial flavors are created in a lab with the intention of intensifying cravings and making you eat more.
Everyone knows artificial additives and MSG are bad for you, and castoreum and Natural Red may be safe, but if we would choose real food over things in packages, we could avoid ingesting dozens of known toxic substances as well as beaver sex glands.
As far as artificial flavors and colors go, most are derived from petroleum and have not been studied for safety or toxicity. Artificial vanilla flavor comes from waste products of paper mills and petroleum and has been shown to negatively effect liver enzymes. Other artificial flavors are made with compounds linked to nervous system depression, indigestion, chest pain, headaches, fatigue, lung irritation, confusion and dizziness.
Microwave popcorn is flavored using diacetyl, which can occur in nature through fermentation, but it is chemically synthesized in a lab for popcorn flavor, so it falls under the umbrella of “artificial flavoring”. This substance has been linked to lung damage among workers in popcorn factories, and has been shown to contribute to the formation of brain plaques linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
Another part of the food scientists’ process involves the use of kidney cells from aborted fetuses. This is not in the final food product, but somehow used to evaluate the flavors and determine if they are suitable for production. The company using this technology will not disclose how it works, but has signed contracts with Pepsi, Ajinomoto Co. (the maker of aspartame), Nestle, and other major food and beverage companies. Food should not require advanced secret technologies to be produced. In fact, food doesn’t require advanced secret technologies, this stuff shouldn’t be allowed to be called food!
There is no research to show that this manipulation of your taste buds over the long term is safe. Flavor enhancers may also be created to be so potent that they may be used in small enough amounts to escape the FDA’s safety approval process for food additives. Just one example of how manipulating your taste buds can destroy your health is in low-calorie and fat-free foods. When you’re brain interprets the artificial flavor of sweetness without any of the expected calories following, this actually causes more weight gain over time because it reeks havoc with your hormones and makes you hungrier. Eating processed foods also increases the toxic load on your body which can increase your risk of cancer and other illnesses. Many additives have been shown to have negative affects on mood, behavior, attention, metabolic functioning and biochemistry. Even without any of these ill effects, processed food leaves your body nutritionally starved.
The bottom line is that natural and artificial flavors are both highly processed chemical substances, are designed to make it harder for you to stop eating, and both allow substances with shown ill health effects to sneak in under the radar. The solution to avoid eating processed beaver booty and bug bits, MSG, petroleum-derived carcinogens, and genetically-modified ingredients is to eat whole, real food in its natural form and nothing that comes with an ingredient list. When you have a craving for cookies, don’t buy them, make them at home. The fewer words, the easier it is to pronounce, the better it usually is for you. Healthy food comes from a farm, not a laboratory.
Resources
The Many Names of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) – Fooducate
How Cells from an Aborted Fetus are Used to Create Novel Flavor Enhancers – Dr. Joseph Mercola, M.D.
Buttered Popcorn Flavoring Linked to Alzheimer’s – Dr. Joseph Mercola, M.D.
The Gross Truth About Natural Flavors – Care 2
Natural Flavorings – No Not Really – Chakra 4
Chemical Warfare with Natural Flavor – Food Babe
Artificial and Natural Flavorings: Avoid them All! – Yahoo Voices
