Food Truth: Natural Flavorings Are Disgusting

An article by Joanna    3 Comments

Photo courtesy of FreeFoto.com

This post is part of the Food Truth series for the Mamavation group, brought to you by the Food Truth Diva (aka Joanna, @way2gomom).

I find that the best place to start is at the beginning. First, we need to know what it is that we are dealing with here. This is a time when I’m glad that the government likes to thoroughly define every word – it helps when tracking down the truth about food. Here is the precise definition of “natural flavor” from the Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, Subpart B, 101.22:

(3) The term natural flavor or natural flavoring means 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. Natural flavors include the natural essence or extractives obtained from plants listed in §§182.10, 182.20, 182.40, and 182.50 and part 184 of this chapter, and the substances listed in §172.510 of this chapter.

In ordinary English, a natural flavoring is a substance (oil, powder, etc) made from a product on the approved list – we’re cooking it down and taking the taste of it with us, essentially (although it can be broken down with enzymes instead of physically ”cooked”). The base ingredients that are permitted will be found on one (or more) of the lists linked above. So far, I’m kinda ok with this – it’s like the vanilla extract that I use for baking, right?

The Lists

• 182.10 – This is part of the Generally Recognized as Safe list for spices and other natural seasonings and flavors, which means that food manufacturers already have approval to use them in products and do not have to petition for a new addition. Some notable members of this list include basil, peppermint, pepper, and vanilla. (We learned about this before, check here.)
• 182.20 – Also from the Generally Recognized as Safe list, this section includes essential oils, oleoresins without solvents, and natural extracts. Some notable members of this list include anise, citrus peel, and onion.
• 182.40 - Also from the Generally Recognized as Safe list, this section includes natural extracts without solvents. There are only 5 members – apricot kernel, peach kernel, peanut stearine, persic oil (which is made from apricot kernel and peach kernel), and quince seed.
• 182.50 – One more from the Generally Recognized as Safe list, these are “certain other spices, seasonings, essential oils, oleoresins, and natural extracts”. There are only 5 members – ambergris, castoreum, Civet, cognac oil, and Tonquin musk.
• 184 – This section contains “substances added directly to human food affirmed as Generally Recognized as Safe. Notable members include lactic acid, wheat gluten, and propane. Yes, I did just say propane – when you use your propane grill, it’s directly adding propane to your food.
• 172.510 – This list is from the approved food additives section and includes “natural flavoring substances and natural substances used in conjunction with flavors. Some have restrictions and are only permitted in alcoholic beverages or after the natural substance has been modified to remove a toxic or potentially toxic characteristic. Notable members include white cedar leaves and twigs, sarsaparilla and turpentine.

Rewind – It’s From WHERE?!
As we were strolling along through the lists, did you recognize all the names? If you’re like me, I was happily reading along – basil, peppermint, anise (tastes like licorice!), onion, apricot kernel, quince seed – ok, I recognize those names, sure sure. No problem. And then I hit 182.50. I wasn’t recognizing the names, but I noticed that Civet says this for the derivation: “Civet cats”. Huh. Ok, I had better look that one up. After I puked in my mouth a little bit, I looked up the rest:

Ambergris – “Ambergris is a secretion found in the intestinal tract of the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus L. = P. catodon). It contains up to 46 per cent of cholestanol type steroids and 25-45 per cent of a triterpene, ambrein. The reason for its formation is unknown but it is thought that it may be due to a reaction to some irritation in the whale’s intestine.”  – From Ambergris Pathfinder: Periodical Literature

Civet – Non-Kosher (in case you were wondering): “Civet is used in beverages, candy, pastries, gum and ice cream. It is derived from the unctuous secretion from the gland recepticles between the anus and genitalia of both male and female African Civet-cats (Viverra civetta).” – From a non-kosher list on ChristianWalks.org

Now that is a lot to absorb. My first reaction to these lists was – this cannot possibly be in my food. Turpentine? Yes – it’s found in candy, baked goods and chewing gum. Check out this OSHA web page for the health and safety guidelines of workers - it even mentions turpentine’s use as a flavoring agent as an occupation which can lead to exposure. But how do we know what natural flavors are used in our foods? Easy – we don’t. The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 requires manufacturers to declare the top 8 major allergies (milk, egg, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts and soybeans), but if the natural flavoring is not one of those then the term “natural flavor” or “natural flavoring”. What’s a foodie to do? I don’t know about you, but right now the Paleo Diet is looking extra special… Yet another reason I prefer to know the entire lifecycle of my food!

It’s a lot to take in, but I’d sure love to hear your thoughts! I’ve really enjoyed this week’s Food Truth research, and I hope you aren’t so disgusted that you never read my blog again. I’d love to have you follow my food journeys on the #foodtruth hashtag on Twitter. In fact, check out my profile on Twitter – I’m @way2gomom. I’d love to hear from you! That’s all for today, and for my #Mamavation Sistas, this is the Food Truth Diva – signing out.

If you want to read more, check out these previous Food Truth Articles:
Sodium & You: The Nitty Gritty on Salt
Gluten: What You Need to Know
Why I Don’t Do Soy
The Benefits of Eating Locally Produced Foods
What Do You Mean By “Food Additive”?