# "Natural Flavors" in Ingedients list **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 29, 2002, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-flavors-in-ingedients-list/121422 "2002-07-29T20:29:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![American\_Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/65b543/32.png) [@American\_Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/American_Cheese)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2002, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-flavors-in-ingedients-list/121422/1 "2002-07-29T20:29:02Z")
I thought these labels were intended for disclosure reasons, but as I drink my concentrate Nestea iced tea, I realize it may be as “natural” as drinking petrol, maggots, or human by-products. What gives? ---
**Author:** ![American\_Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/65b543/32.png) [@American\_Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/American_Cheese)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2002, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-flavors-in-ingedients-list/121422/2 "2002-07-29T20:35:35Z")
as in soylent GREEN ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2002, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-flavors-in-ingedients-list/121422/3 "2002-07-29T21:40:05Z")
We covered a similar question about 10 days ago: [Fruit2O and “Naturalness”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=126182&highlight=Natural+AND+Flavor) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2002, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-flavors-in-ingedients-list/121422/4 "2002-07-29T21:45:12Z")
Natural and artificial flavors are designations allowed by the FDA to protect proprietary recipes, as long as they represent less than 2% of the total, if memory serves. The difference between them, I believe, is nothing more than “natural” flavors must be compounds that at one time started out their lives in a real world substance, while “artificial” flavors are completely laboratory made. Much can be done to “natural” flavors before they reach the food processing plant. Some people can be allergic to natural flavors and need to contact the manufacturers to ensure that milk, e.g., is not a base for them. Most firms will be happy to say yes or no to this without going into detail about what is actually there. For the most part, though, I don’t get too excited about natural or artificial flavors. They’re certainly no worse for you than some of the things that do get reported on the ingredients labels. ---
**Author:** ![techchick68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@techchick68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/techchick68)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2002, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-flavors-in-ingedients-list/121422/5 "2002-07-29T22:02:44Z")
[http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/CF101-22.HTML](http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/CF101-22.HTML) > [@](#): > > 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 Secs. 182.10, > 182.20, 182.40, and 182.50 and part 184 of this chapter, and the > substances listed in Sec. 172.510 of this chapter.