Natural vs. Artificial Flavoring
- Ester Lilaj
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Flavoring is used in a wide variety of food and beverage products, from sparkling water to granola bars, and has become a crucial part of food manufacturing.
Now imagine reading two ingredient labels: one listing “Natural Flavoring” and the other listing “Artificial Flavoring.” Instinctively, “natural flavoring” sounds like the healthier and more appealing ingredient on the labels. But is there any truth to this instinct? What really is the difference between the two – and is one better than the other?
To understand the difference between these two mysterious ingredients, we first need to define what they mean and where they come from.
Natural flavors refers to chemical compounds used in flavoring that are derived directly from something found in nature, like plants or animals. Artificial flavors, on the other hand, are chemical compounds used in flavoring created entirely in a lab to mimic a natural ingredient. For example, vanilla flavoring can have the compound vanillin naturally extracted from the vanilla plant or produced synthetically in a lab. Despite one coming straight from a lab and the other from a plant, both produce the exact same molecule with the same taste.
Natural and artificial flavorings’ origins may be their most obvious difference but are not the only one that sets them apart. In fact, two major factors a manufacturer considers when choosing between natural or artificial flavoring are the cost and consistency in taste of the two. Extracting flavor from natural sources, especially in large scale production, is not cheap nor consistent. Many variables can affect natural flavoring, like finding a location where it can be sourced and the impacts of natural factors like weather on the yield of the natural source. Meanwhile, artificial flavoring compounds offer a consistent taste and reliable production of the chemical needed.
Of course, there are advantages to choosing natural flavoring, consumer preference and the appeal to market products as healthier being the biggest ones. Ultimately, the choice to use artificial or natural flavoring depends on the budget of the product’s manufacturer and the image they want their product to have.
Now that the difference between the two is clearer, what’s with the vague labeling on ingredient labels? If something is strawberry flavored, why not just list the chemicals used but instead state “Natural and/or Artificial Flavoring”? The reason behind this comes down to the fact that ingredient lists would be tens and hundreds of compounds long if food products listed out every single chemical compound used to achieve a specific flavor. In fact, most flavoring compounds (around 80-90%) make up microscopic amounts of the product and are called incidental additives. The FDA doesn’t require companies to list out incidental additives, which is why we see natural and artificial flavoring.
Still, this doesn’t mean that companies can get away with putting unsafe ingredients and labeling them as incidental additives. Rather, the FDA has strict guidelines on the amount of each type of chemical compound that can be used in a product.
All things considered, there isn’t a definitive “better” choice between artificial and natural flavoring. In terms of product marketing and manufacturing, each has its own respective advantages and disadvantages. What’s most important to remember is that neither one is “healthier” than the other and instead are often the exact same chemical compound, just originating from different means of extraction/production.
Ester Lilaj is a rising junior at McLean High School in McLean, Virginia. She volunteers at various food banks in her area, helping organize inventory and serving members of the community. She is interested in food safety and preservation.
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