What Is In Artificial Flavoring?
Of particular interest is the chapter on “Why The Fries Taste Good” where Schlosser talks about the chemical fragrance and flavor industries and how food additives are made. It is a real eye opener!
If you read through a food’s list of ingredients, you might think that it is healthier or more natural if you can pronounce all of the ingredients. How many times do you read “natural and artificial flavor” and assume it’s no big deal?
What are those natural and artificial flavors made from and why are they not listed with the ingredients?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require companies that make flavorings to divulge the ingredients as long as they are considered “GRAS”, an acronym used by the agency for chemicals “Generally Recognized As Safe”. This protects flavor company trade secrets. Surprisingly, the list of ingredients that make up a flavor can be longer than the list of ingredients in the food itself.
“A typical artificial strawberry flavor, like the kind found in a Burger King strawberry milk shake, contains the following ingredients:
- amyl acetate,
- amyl butyrate,
- amyl valerate,
- anethol,
- anisyl formate,
- benzyl acetate,
- benzyl isobutyrate,
- butyric acid,
- cinnamyl isobutyrate,
- cinnamyl valerate,
- cognac essential oil,
- diacetyl,
- dipropyl ketone,
- ethyl acetate,
- ethyl amyl ketone,
- ethyl butyrate,
- ethyl cinnamate,
- ethyl heptanoate,
- ethyl heptylate,
- ethyl lactate,
- ethyl methylphenylglycidate,
- ethyl nitrate,
- ethyl propionate,
- ethyl valerate,
- heliotropin,
- hydroxyphenyl-2-butanone (10 percent solution in alcohol),
- a-ionone,
- isobutyl anthranilate,
- isobutyl butyrate,
- lemon essential oil,
- maltol,
- 4-methylacetophenone,
- methyl anthranilate,
- methyl benzoate,
- methyl cinnamate,
- methyl heptine carbonate,
- methyl naphthyl ketone,
- methyl salicylate,
- mint essential oil,
- neroli essential oil,
- nerolin,
- neryl isobutyrate,
- orris butter,
- phenethyl alcohol,
- rose,
- rum ether,
- g-undecalactone,
- vanillin,
- solvent.”
Source: Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser, page 125-126
Would you consume a food with an ingredients list like this? Chances are you do multiple times every day!
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