What The Heck Are Natural & Artificial Flavors?

Found in everything what are these mysterious ingredients? 

The Definition 

Per the FDA natural flavors/natural flavoring 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 (1)”. Artificial flavors are “any substance, the function of which is to impart flavor, which is not derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof (1)”. A fancy (and v confusing) way to say natural flavors come from natural sources while artificial flavors are man-made aka synthetic. However, it turns out natural and artificial flavors aren’t actually that different. 

Why Are Natural & Artifical Flavors Used? 

Natural and artificial flavors are added to foods to enhance the taste/flavors, they do not have any nutritional benefit. These flavors can make foods taste better and cause you to eat more of them. 

So What's The Difference Between Natural & Artificial Flavors? 

Honesty not much, both are made in a lab and can contain the exact same molecules, nutritionally there seems to be no difference between them (2). 

Are Natural and Artifical Flavors Safe? 

For the most part, it seems like yes, however, we really don’t know. Food companies are not required to say what is in these flavors and the FDA does not review them. Natural and artificial flavors are GRAS (generally recognized as safe) meaning they are not known to cause health issues so they can be used in foods (3). The problem with GRAS is that we might not realize something is unsafe to consume until it is too late. A great example of this is trans fasts, which were GRAS at one time but as it turns out are actually a major contributor to the risk of developing heart disease (4). 

When Natural & Artificial Flavors Go Wrong 

Here are a few examples: 

Natural Butter Flavoring AKA Diacetyl: this additive is mostly found in microwave popcorn, candies, and baked goods. It turns out workers in popcorn factories using diacetyl have a higher risk of developing rare lung cancer (now called “popcorn lung”) due to the exposure (5) (oops). 

MSG AKA Monosodium Glutamate: turns out this flavor enhancer found in a lot of Chinese foods, canned soups, and frozen meals to name a few, is associated with hypertension, obesity, gastrointestinal tract troubles, and impairment of function of the brain, and nervous system, reproductive, and endocrine system when eaten in high amounts (6).

Castoreum: not toxic but kinda funny (maybe you heard this and thought it was a joke) but this natural flavor used in vanilla and raspberry-flavored foods is actually derived from beaver anal glands (7). The good news is that its use has been going down in recent years. 

TLDR 

As it turns out natural and artificial flavors are very similar in structure and function. They do not provide nutritional value but instead enhance the flavors of food. The FDA does not regulate the ingredients of natural or artificial flavors and companies are not required to list the ingredients in them. The ingredients of these flavorings have to be generally recognized as safe (GRAS), however, this does not mean they are good for you.

References 

1.“CFR - Code of Federal Regulations Title 21.” Accessdata.Fda.Gov, www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm?fr=501.22. Accessed 6 Mar. 2024. 

2. Dwyer, Kate. “The Truth about Natural and Artificial Flavors.” Bon Appétit, Bon Appétit, 15 Mar. 2017, www.bonappetit.com/story/truth-about-natural-artificial-flavors. 

3. ​​“Gras Definition & Usage Examples.” Dictionary.Com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/gras. Accessed 6 Mar. 2024. 

4. Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. “Trans Fat.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/trans-fat. Accessed 6 Mar. 2024. 

5. “Flavorings-Related Lung Disease - Overview.” Occupational Safety and Health Administration, www.osha.gov/flavorings-related-lung-disease. Accessed 6 Mar. 2024. 

6. Chakraborty, Subhankari Prasad. “Patho-physiological and toxicological aspects of monosodium glutamate.” Toxicology Mechanisms and Methods, vol. 29, no. 6, 6 May 2019, pp. 389–396, https://doi.org/10.1080/15376516.2018.1528649. 

7. “Castoreum.” Center for Science in the Public Interest, 8 Feb. 2022, www.cspinet.org/article/castoreum.