If you’ve ever looked at the ingredients list while grocery shopping, chances are you’ve seen the term “natural flavors”. But have you taken a (26)_____ to consider what these natural flavors actually are?
Most of us might think that “natural flavors” are, well, naturally good for us. A recent study in the journal Appetite found that when the word “natural” appears on packaging, people (27)_____ that the food within is indeed healthier. In truth, natural flavors do not (28)_____ much, at least chemically speaking, from their flavor-boosting (29)_____: artificial flavors. Both can be made in a lab by trained flavorists, but artificial flavors use chemicals to give a product a (30)_____ smell or taste.
Natural flavors come from plant or animal (31)_____, like fruit, vegetable, meat, fish, or milk that is then processed or refined in some way. In short, natural flavors are (32)_____ from plants and animals to create specific flavors for processed foods. But that does not (33)_____ make it easier to tell what is really in your food. Because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not (34)_____ the term, companies can use it to refer to pretty much anything derived from a plant or animal. And natural flavors can also include a variety of chemical additives, such as preservatives. The FDA doesn’t require companies to reveal what additional chemicals a specific item (35)_____.
So if you want to know for certain what you’re getting with your groceries, you might want to stick to the farmer’s market.
