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Natural Flavors

Level 3 — Contested

Natural Flavors is a other additive listed in the FDA food-additive database.

Also: natural flavor, artificial flavor, flavoring, flavor additive

Where you'll see it

appears on one of every seven Nutrition Facts ingredient lists; beverages, yogurt, baked goods, sauces, dairy alternatives, snack foods

What the research says

'Natural' or 'artificial flavor' is a regulatory black box: typically a mix of nonpolar flavor compounds plus an emulsifier (e.g., polysorbate 80), a solvent (e.g., propylene glycol), and a preservative (e.g., BHA) — chosen from over 100 undisclosed items. Lustig notes flavors usually signify added sugar. [metabolical] 'Natural' or 'artificial flavor' is a regulatory black box: typically a mix of nonpolar flavor compounds plus an emulsifier (e.g., polysorbate 80), a solvent (e.g., propylene glycol), and a preservative (e.g., BHA) — chosen from over 100 undisclosed items. Lustig notes flavors usually signify added sugar.

Regulatory status

  • Notes: From enrichment source only, not in Winter Dictionary

Sources

  • Metabolical (Lustig) — Chapter 20; Chapter 24: since most flavors are nonpolar, it usually means there's an emulsifier (e.g., polysorbate 80), a solvent (e.g., propylene glycol), and a preservative (e.g., butylated hydroxyanisole — BHA)