We thought we knew the difference between flavours and natural flavours. In fact, we had already written a blog post on this topic, we just needed a few little bits of extra info as part of our investigations. We figured we’d call Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) to clarify a few things and that would be it… we’d press publish and this article would be done, simple! Little did we know that that phone call to FSANZ turned everything we thought we knew on its head!
Yep, turns out that there is more to this than meets the eye!
In fact, the truth is even scarier than what we originally thought. So are you ready to go down the rabbit hole with us? We promise you’ll want to stick around until the end. So, 3… 2… 1… Let’s go!
FLAVOUR
The word ‘flavour’ (or some derivative of) seems to be everywhere on food packaging these days. But do you really know what it means? The reality is you don’t go to the supermarket and wander around looking for the aisle that stocks ‘flavour’ because ‘flavour’ doesn’t actually exist. It’s a collective term that the dictionary defines as a ‘substance or extract that provides a particular taste’. So, how can an ingredient label list ‘artificial flavour’, ‘flavour’ or ‘natural flavour’ as an ingredient when it’s not actually a tangible thing?
What are Flavours?
If you live in the US they are defined as being processed from unnatural/artificial substances such as petroleum and coal tar and used to enhance the flavour of food. In fact, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) defines them as:
Flavors are complex mixtures that sometimes comprise more than 100 chemicals. In addition to flavors themselves, these mixtures contain chemicals that have other functions. Solvents, emulsifiers, flavor modifiers and preservatives often make up 80 to 90 percent of the mixture. 1
What are Natural Flavours?
Surely given the name says ‘natural’ we’re onto a winner now aren’t we????? Oh, how we would love to say yes! Honestly, we would love nothing more than that.
Again, if you live in the US, natural flavours can be either a combination of the ‘flavours’ (from above) mixed with some animal/natural plant materials or they could be 100% natural.
Senior Scientist at EWG, Dr David Andrews Ph.D., notes:
The main difference between a natural and artificial flavor is the origin of the flavor chemicals. Natural flavors must be derived from plant or animal material. Artificial flavors are synthesized in the lab. The actual chemicals in these two kinds of flavors may be exactly the same: the chemical structures of the individual molecules may be indistinguishable…
From a food manufacturer’s perspective, the difference between a natural and artificial flavor often comes down to cost and consumer preference. A natural flavor almost always costs much more than an artificial flavor. Still, food makers are often willing to pay because they know that some consumers prefer “natural” flavors.
Interestingly, the chemical mixtures that comprise artificial flavors are often simpler than “natural” flavors. The reason: artificial flavors contain fewer chemicals than natural ones, which can be mixtures of several hundred chemicals. 2
How does that relate to Australia and New Zealand?
The short answer is, it doesn’t! Whilst we do get a lot of packaged food from overseas, including the US, our food standards fall under Foods Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). As such, our legislation, the Food Standards Code (the Code) does not differentiate between artificial flavours or natural flavours.
Permitted flavour substances are listed in the Code under the class name, Flavour (or Flavours if there is more than one ingredient). When listing a flavour(s) in the Code, according to our source at FSANZ, they do not look at where the ingredients in that flavour(s) is/are derived from.
Just to reiterate the point, the terms ‘artificial flavour(s)’ and ‘natural flavour(s)’ are not legislated or legally recognised under Australian and New Zealand legislation, meaning they can be used interchangeably.
Do you see what we’re saying here?… food packaging that appears to be a healthier option because it has ‘natural flavours’ may not necessarily be the case. It can just all be clever marketing speak. The term ‘natural flavours’ in Australia means nothing… literally! FSANZ only looks at those ingredients as ‘flavours’.
What’s to stop a company from promoting their artificial flavour as natural?
Technically, as it stands right now in Australia and New Zealand, not a great deal.
There are a few extra measures to consider when it comes to food packaging. Companies are more aware that us, their consumers, are way savvier now when it comes to understanding ingredient labels. They know we are watching what they are doing and we are not fooled as easily. Secondly, and most importantly as the FSANZ website details:
In addition to the Food Standards Code, all representations made about food are subject to fair trading laws and food laws in Australia and New Zealand which prohibit false, misleading or deceptive representations (for further information see Truth in labelling, weights and measures and legibility).
This second point obviously relies on companies being held accountable and being brought before the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) if they breach these fair trading laws. To give you an example of the truth in the labelling, according to FSANZ:
Foods must be labelled with an accurate name or description that indicates the true nature of the food, for example ’Strawberry Yoghurt’ should contain strawberries. If it were to contain strawberry flavouring rather than real strawberries, the label should indicate that it is strawberry flavoured yoghurt.
Whilst this goes some way to being a safeguard it doesn’t safeguard against the word ‘flavour’ and this seems to be where the waters start to get muddy. So let’s dive even further, shall we?
What are flavours?
We’ve been told that natural flavours and artificial flavours are the same things in Australia and New Zealand. So, what exactly are flavour(s) then?
The Code defines them as:
flavouring substance means a substance that is used as a food additive to perform the technological purpose of a flavouring in accordance with this Code.
The reality is they can be anything… they can be created to mimic the flavour of existing foods. For example, instead of using real fruit as an ingredient, Flavourists (or Food Chemists as they are also known) will create a synthetic flavour to mimic the taste of that fruit. Why would they do this instead of just using the fruit? Well, it’s cheaper for the manufacturer to produce, and allows the ingredient to be more shelf-stable given it can consist of a multitude of ingredients that are man-made and not naturally derived.
Currently, companies are permitted to use flavouring substances from multiple lists of publications which are essentially like flavour recipe books. They are often big thick books that list a bunch of ingredients that make up a flavouring substance. HERE is an example of what a smaller version of a flavour recipe book looks like in case you’re curious to see. Companies can use these flavouring substances to make up their own unique flavours. An example that was given to us was a high profile soft drink company used multiple flavouring substances from different publications to create their own signature flavour profile which is their own trade secret and intellectual property.
As long as companies are using flavours from the publications of permitted flavouring substances, then they can use whatever they want in their ‘flavour’ without having to list it in the ingredients label on the food packaging.
Companies literally have HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS of permitted flavouring substances at their disposal that they can use in their products. There is no limit on the number of ingredients they can use in their ‘flavours’ in any one product.
This is what blew our minds, we had no idea that there were so many permitted substances to choose from… and… we had no idea that in the Code they don’t look at where the ingredients are derived from, as long as they are from one of those flavour books, they are permitted for use.
So basically, it falls back to us, the consumer, to be aware of all of this and report to the ACCC if we suspect that companies are using the words ‘natural flavours’ when in actual fact there is nothing natural about them.
You can contact the company and ask them what their flavour(s) consists of, but they’re not obligated to tell you. We have done this more times than we can count and whilst some have been honest and told us what it is, most will simply say it’s their confidential intellectual property or trade secret that they do not wish to reveal for fear of being copied by other companies.
The truth, we believe, more lies in the fact that it’s a loophole in the system that allows companies to hide ingredients without the consumers knowing. We’re not saying that this is always the case, but it does beg the question.
Clever marketing!
It’s a shame that we have no idea what we’re eating and being misled by purchasing products listing ‘natural flavour’ thinking it’s the better choice. But then again, it could be? Who knows? Because we have no idea what is in it, therefore no idea what we’re eating!!
We reiterate again that natural flavour(s) could be a collective bunch of ingredients with one or two natural ingredients plus a whole bunch of synthetic ingredients. Or it could simply be a vanilla bean, or it could be all synthetic ingredients … we have no idea!? And because we don’t know what they are, we have no way of knowing what they’re doing to our bodies both in the short term or long term.
Yes, we may be totally sceptical but after having delved into this rabbit hole… err… sorry, food industry for as long as we have now, we’ve seen our fair share of loopholes, tricks and stunts.
What to look out for
Let’s go back to the yoghurt for example. If a strawberry yoghurt label says ‘strawberry flavoured yoghurt’ then there doesn’t have to be any real strawberries in it. It can just contain ‘strawberry flavour’ made by a Food Chemist. However, if the ingredient label looks like this one from the Siggi’s Strawberry Yoghurt, then you can tell it’s using real strawberries and not just ‘flavouring’:
Skim milk, cream, milk solids, strawberry (5%), cane sugar, pectin, live yoghurt cultures (live Active Cultures: S. thermophilus, L. delbrueck-ii subsp. bulgaricus, B. lactis, L. acidophilus).
Another example is maple syrup. Maple Flavoured Syrup is not the real deal. Here’s what the ingredients are for Green’s Maple Flavoured Syrup:
Sugar, Water, Glucose Syrup (From Wheat, Contains Sulphites), Salt, Natural Flavour, Colour [Caramel (150D)], Preservatives (202, 211).
Whereas pure maple syrup, such as the ingredients for the Woolworths 100% Canadian Maple Syrup is:
Canadian Maple Syrup.
Vanilla Flavouring, again… not the real deal:
Water, Imitation Vanilla Flavours, Colour: (150d), Preservative (202), Food Acid (330).
Whereas Vanilla Extract, a much purer choice:
Extract of Pure Madagascan Vanilla Beans [Water, Alcohol (35% vol.), Vanilla Bean Extractives].
Not all companies who list ‘natural flavours’ are bad
We have come to know, love and trust many brands over our years of living additive-free. We pick up the phone or get on our emails and ask what their ingredients mean if we aren’t sure. We ask what their ‘natural flavours’ are, or we ask them if their ‘natural flavours’ are a compound of ingredients.
We’re sure there are plenty of companies out there who list natural flavours with integrity and purity of ingredients. Unfortunately, this labelling system is so muddied now it’s failing under the weight of those who are unscrupulously using it to their advantage.
Companies who are transparent either in their labelling or whether you contact them and they tell you the truth, are good in our book. But it’s up to us, as the consumer, to be discerning and to look after ourselves and not to expect food companies to prioritise our health.
What can you do now?
We get that we’ve probably freaked you out… it freaked us out!
But don’t despair, here’s a list of things you can do:
- Contact the food company/manufacturer and ask them to provide you with a list of exactly what their flavour(s) consists of. If they refuse to tell you, request they formally register your objection. If they don’t want to tell you it could simply be that they don’t want their secret ‘flavour’ revealed or it could be that they have something to hide… who knows?
- Decide whether you trust that brand or not based on other products they manufacture. Do they have a reputation for purity with their ingredients? Do they have a reputation for transparency with the majority of their products?
- If you are unsure of ingredients on a packet, then go with your gut and put it back on the shelf.
- Look for an alternative brand to purchase with cleaner ingredients instead.
- Decide whether you want to allow this food into your 80/20 rule.
You may be thinking that this seems useless and a waste of time because how can one person make a difference. Don’t forget that every single person adds up and every little bit counts. Companies will never know unless they are told and if they are told the same thing enough times, they will start to listen. They will definitely listen if their profit margins take a hit!
Don’t let them continue to disempower you. Your health matters and we all deserve to know what we’re eating!
Here are some brands that we trust because of their transparency on ingredients labels and when we have contacted them directly:
Jo and Tracey x
References:
1, 2: https://www.ewg.org/foodscores/content/natural-vs-artificial-flavors/
Really fascinating as the ‘flavours’ are everywhere. I have also called companies multiple times only to be told they don’t actually know what the flavour is made from as its bought from another company who has it as their intellectual property. I wish medicines came flavour free too.
Thanks for the great article
Thank you so much for sharing this info I’m freaked out about this right now and will certainly be more selective at the supermarket with my purchases in the future. Companies should stop looking at their bottom line and start caring about their products we consume. Thank you for looking out for us. ??