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The American flavor industry is expected to earn an estimated $15.1 billion annually by 2020, an unsurprising number given that at this point, almost all processed foods (and many non-processed foods) include flavor additives. But the term “flavor additives” is deliberately vague. Companies are not required to disclose the ingredients of flavor additives if all components are considered generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — and most manufacturers decline to get into specifics. If you think of flavorings as the proverbial secret sauce, it makes sense: You would be handing competitors the keys to the tasty kingdom.
The FDA provides some assistance to food manufacturers with regard to confidentiality. Except for flavoring, which the FDA and the food industry claim does not qualify as an ingredient, companies are legally required to list the specifics of every food ingredient on nutrition labels. Because of this, fast food menus or nutrition labels will list 45 ingredients that are difficult to pronounce before concluding with the deceptively simple phrase “natural flavors.” Each flavor may contain dozens of ingredients, so listing them would not only be impractical but also probably only serve to confuse consumers. Only potential allergens (such as milk or nuts) must be listed.
In order to learn more about the ever-present “natural flavor,” Eater examined one flavoring agent that can be found on many fast-food menus: natural beef flavor.
What is a “natural flavor”?
According to the FDA’s Code of Federal Regulations, “natural flavor” means as follows:
In essence, it’s a flavoring product made up of ingredients that come from plants, animals, seafood, or dairy products. Even though these flavors are frequently improved and altered in a lab, they are still a product of science because, unlike artificial flavors, they begin with organic rather than synthetic ingredients. Whether they were created by an organic chemist or extracted from a natural product, the two can both contain the same chemicals; they were just arrived at through a different process. Similar to the innate fear of GMOs, which holds that anything created in a lab must be inferior, there is a strong preference for natural flavoring over artificial flavoring. Like foods that have been genetically modified, there is no proof that artificial flavors are unhealthy. Its all in the name.
“We can’t be extracting flavor from the beef and throwing it away because it’s too expensive if we want to put that in ramen noodles or gravy.” “.
What is “natural beef flavor”?
A food chemist with expertise in flavor research, Gary Reineccius, explains that “natural beef flavoring” isn’t necessarily made from beef at all. The food industry once said, “If we want to put that in ramen noodles or gravy, we can’t be extracting flavor and throwing away the beef — it’s too expensive,” he claims. Therefore, they had to figure out how to create flavors that didn’t originate from meat products. “.
Reineccius asserts that “beef flavor is created during the cooking process.” The amino acids in beef were identified by food scientists, who then added starch hydrolysate, a very common sugar, dropped the pH by adding citric acid, controlled the moisture content, and heated it to the same temperature as meat. Then. *poof* we have meat flavor. That “natural beef flavor” might therefore be vegetarian. When a flavor is reduced to its simplest chemical components, scientists can reconstruct it and combine the flavors of different foods to produce an umami-like, “meaty” taste without using any beef.
All of that food chemistry disappears under the umbrella term “natural flavors.” Assuming, that is, that the components really are just for taste. In 1990, the FDA got a little more specific, releasing its list of Ingredients That May Be Designated as Natural Flavors, Natural Flavorings, Flavors, or Flavorings When Used in Meat or Poultry Products. In regards to “natural flavors” appearing in meat products, the FDA decided:
For meat products, the items above are considered ingredients and must be labeled outside the “natural beef flavor” designation; same with items like “beef broth” and “meat extract.” (In a famous case of additives-as-ingredients in meat products, Taco Bells taco meat came under scrutiny back in 2011 when diners noticed a laundry list of additives on its labels.) So, sometimes (on a meat/poultry label) the company needs to tell you whether their product includes beef flavoring. Sometimes they dont, and the “natural flavor” designation is enough: Meat products are not considered an allergen that must be labeled, unlike soy, wheat, and nuts. Unless the company specifies the components on the label, theres no real way of knowing the source of the flavor short of calling headquarters.
What foods have “natural beef flavoring”?
A lot of them, particularly processed foods. If you start reading ingredient labels, you’ll notice the ambiguous term “natural flavor” appearing frequently. There is no way to determine whether this flavor is a natural one from a spice, a vegetable, or an animal. While many diners may not care about the difference, vegetarians and vegans are very concerned about it.
McDonald’s french fries are the most well-known example of beef flavoring being concealed. Cottonseed oil and beef tallow were combined to cook McDonald’s french fries for many years. This made them delicious, but also laden with saturated fat. Due to public pressure, McDonald’s changed the way its potatoes were fried in 1990, using only pure vegetable oil. However, McDonald’s added beef flavor to its fries, merely listing “natural flavors” on its ingredients list, in order to maintain the delectable meat flavor without the cholesterol.
In 2001, the corporation was sued over the beef flavoring, with consumers who refrain from eating meat for moral, religious, or health reasons claiming that were misled into thinking the fries were vegetarian. McDonalds beef flavoring is apparently not vegetarian (fine print on the McDs site notes that its natural beef flavoring contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as its starters), and the suit settled in 2002. McDonalds has since added a section to its website clarifying that its fries are neither vegetarian nor vegan-certified. But natural beef flavor still stealthily pops up on McDonalds menus: Notably, in its soon-to-be-served-all-day breakfast hash browns.
Is natural beef flavoring bad for you?
The flavor specifically? No. Neither is artificial beef flavoring, while were at it. In fact, some scientists argue that artificial flavors, which are engineered and rigorously tested in a lab prior to their use in foods, may actually be safer than natural flavors. Whereas a natural flavor can contain hundreds of chemicals that are untested by the FDA, every component that goes into an artificial flavor must be approved for safe consumption.
Unfortunately, the U. S. has adopted words like “natural” and “organic” as a way to refer to healthy food, regardless of the type of food. Those naturally flavored, organic french fries are not heart-healthy, despite their flavor. Although natural beef flavoring on its own may be healthy, pay attention to what it is sprinkled on.
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FAQ
Is natural beef flavor made with beef?
According to the company’s website, “Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients.” In hydrolysis, water breaks chemical bonds. However, Eater reported in 2015 that “natural beef flavoring” may not actually be made from beef.
What is the meaning of natural beef Flavour?
In essence, it’s a flavoring product made with ingredients that come from plants, animals, seafood, or dairy.
Is beef flavoring real meat?
While the precise ingredients in beef flavoring can change, generally speaking, it consists of a mixture of artificial and natural ingredients that mimic the flavor of beef. Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), yeast extract, beef stock, beef fat, and various spices and flavorings are some of the ingredients that are frequently used in beef flavoring.
Is natural beef flavouring vegetarian?
Since the flavoring is made from beef fat and cannot be consumed by vegetarians or vegans because it contains hydrolyzed wheat and milk, it is not suitable for people who have a wheat or dairy allergy.