What Are Natural Flavors in Food?

Quick Answer: "Natural flavors" is a catch-all term for flavor compounds derived from plant or animal sources. Despite the name, natural flavors can contain up to 100 different chemicals including solvents, preservatives, and emulsifiers — and the FDA does not require manufacturers to disclose the specific ingredients.

"Natural flavors" is the fourth most common ingredient listed on US food labels. The FDA defines natural flavors as substances derived from plant or animal sources including fruits, vegetables, herbs, bark, roots, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, and dairy. However, the actual flavor compound may constitute as little as 80% of the "natural flavor" package — the remaining 20% can include propylene glycol (solvent), BHA (preservative), and polysorbate 80 (emulsifier). For people with allergies, this is particularly concerning: natural flavors derived from milk, soy, wheat, or tree nuts may not be specifically labeled. The term "artificial flavors" refers to chemically identical compounds created synthetically rather than extracted from natural sources — they may actually be purer than "natural" alternatives.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Are natural flavors vegan?

Not necessarily. Natural flavors can be derived from animal sources including dairy, eggs, meat, and seafood. The label does not specify the source.

Are natural flavors safe?

Natural flavors are generally considered safe by the FDA, but they can contain hidden allergens and up to 100 undisclosed chemical components including solvents and preservatives.

Related Ingredients

Natural FlavorsAutolyzed YeastMsg

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📋 Cite This Data
APACheckIt AI. (2026). "What Are Natural Flavors in Food? — CheckIt AI". Climaverse PBC. Retrieved from https://getcheck.it/answers/what-is-natural-flavors
MLA"What Are Natural Flavors in Food? — CheckIt AI." CheckIt AI, Climaverse PBC, 2026-03-05. https://getcheck.it/answers/what-is-natural-flavors.
HTML Embed<a href="https://getcheck.it/answers/what-is-natural-flavors">What Are Natural Flavors in Food? — CheckIt AI — CheckIt AI</a>
BibTeX@misc{checkit2026answerswhatisnaturalflavors, title = {What Are Natural Flavors in Food? — CheckIt AI}, author = {CheckIt AI}, year = {2026}, publisher = {Climaverse PBC}, url = {https://getcheck.it/answers/what-is-natural-flavors}, note = {Retrieved 2026-03-05} }