Ask Marilyn

Food products often list “natural flavors” as an ingredient. What does that mean? —Barry Gantt, Oakland, California

To comply with government regulations, natural flavors must come from plant or animal sources such as fruits, vegetables, spices, herbs, meats, fish, and more. These flavors may be processed (distilled, fermented, etc.), but they are still considered natural. Their counterparts are artificial flavors, which employ man-made chemicals.

This implies natural flavors are better in some way, but in fact, all the flavors have the same nutritional value: none. Flavor molecules, whether natural or synthetic, contain no nutrients. Also, as natural flavors come from plants or animals, they can cause allergic reactions. One cannot be truly allergic to a flavor that is wholly synthetic.

Consumers may fear artificial flavors are unsafe because they are so often petroleum-based. But that concern is unfounded. Would these folks avoid aspirin? Aspirin is also derived from petroleum. In fact, virtually all pharmaceuticals contain petrochemicals.

Consumers may also fear other chemicals in their food. Consider this list: aluminum, arsenic, boron, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, manganese, mercury, sulfur, zinc. Did you notice the arsenic? (Of course you did!) Yet arsenic is an element; it occurs naturally and abundantly throughout our environment. All of the chemicals in that list occur naturally in fresh strawberries!

And how about weird or long, unfamiliar chemical names, such as neochlorogenic acid and kaempferol-3-beta-monoglucoside? Yes, you guessed it: those chemicals are found in garden-variety strawberries, too.