are artificial flavors to be avoided?

[Rusty]

Hi all - new here... and I have an admitted bias for all things food. I work in the food industry as a supervisor, studied microbiology in college, own a small homebrew shop, and am launching a probiotic vegan food... and I'm an admitted science dork. Anyway, there are obviously a lot of dietary needs out there, but even more preferences as well - different sugars, non-GMO, no gums, etc... and food colorings and flavors. What do you all think about artificial flavors? Do you avoid them or are you all good with them? Should we avoid them or are they simply compounds that we mimic from the natural sources? Thanks ahead of time.

 

[Second Summer]

It depends. I really don't know enough about the topic to have a very strong opinion, so in general I would probably err on the side of caution and try to avoid these kinds of products. As a one-off it probably wouldn't bother me too much, but if it were a product I purchased on a regular basis, like vegan yogurt, then I'd probably choose one that didn't have artificial flavours.

If it were a particular artificial flavour that were in wide use and there was strong evidence for its safety, then I might be persuaded. In general I subscribe to science-based veganism, but there's so much I don't know ...

The main concern though, is that no animals were used or inconvenienced in the production.

 

[Rusty]

I recently learned that natural flavors may not be as safe because they are not as strictly regulated or rigorously tested as artificial flavors. I thought that surprising and interesting and wondered what others thought on the topic. Thanks for the response. And, while I have a severe distaste for artificial colorings in food, I really have never minded artificial flavors... I guess its because I'm a science guy and have always thought of them as being the same flavor compounds/components.

 

[Andy_T]

To be honest, I am more concerned about "Natural flavours" that are added to food, as those are often derived from animal ingredients .

"Natural" Flavorings and Other Hidden Animal Sources in Your Food Supply - The Veggie Blog
Frequently Asked Questions - FOOD INGREDIENTS -- The Vegetarian Resource Group
Natural Flavors

So I typically look for a statement clarifying that "All additives are from plant or synthetic origin" in order to avoid having beef tallow, crushed beetles or chicken feathers added to my food ...

 

[Rusty]

Excellent stuff - I didn't know that! Thank you. And the clarifying statement makes a lot of sense and is very helpful, too.

 

[Naturebound1]

To be honest, I am more concerned about "Natural flavours" that are added to food, as those are often derived from animal ingredients .

"Natural" Flavorings and Other Hidden Animal Sources in Your Food Supply - The Veggie Blog
Frequently Asked Questions - FOOD INGREDIENTS -- The Vegetarian Resource Group
Natural Flavors

So I typically look for a statement clarifying that "All additives are from plant or synthetic origin" in order to avoid having beef tallow, crushed beetles or chicken feathers added to my food ...

This is what I do too. I am more concerned about animal ingredients. I am not particularly bothered by plant milks with carageenan (sp?) and that sort of thing. I do tend to avoid food dyes and E numbers and stuff with mono/diglycerides. For example, if I buy canned coconut milk, I go with the more expensive one with only a few recognizable ingredients rather than the cheaper one with several E numbers on it. I am very picky about breads and commercial tortillas etc and only buy organic natural vegan ones with a few ingredients (very few options lol). Mostly I make my own bread and tortillas, sometimes even buns. I'll buy Food For Life bread occasionally though it costs an arm and a leg.

I am also under the impression that "natural" flavors are no healthier and that term tends to be fairly broad. Natural often means animal derived and I'll bet the gathering of those ingredients was anything but natural. I once saw a documentary about how insects were trapped and ground up by hand to be used as a "natural" ingredient for some product. The process was actually quite disturbing and unsanitary too.

 

[Rusty]

I do the same. I mean, I don't have a problem buying a product when it costs a bit more if I can see they've taken an effort in legitimately attempting to limit ingredients. I figure its like comedians who have to swear a lot and make sex jokes - they aren't that talented. If a food manufacturer doesn't care enough to formulate with others in mind and use only the best and bare minimum ingredients then they likewise aren't so hot.