What Every Consumer Should Know about Foods And Flavors

By Jane Farrell

Editor’s note: It’s understandable if shoppers get confused by the array of food labels confronting them in the supermarket. Experts from the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) help you figure out the differences:

Many foods or beverages are flavoredΓÇöbut how can you tell where those flavors come from?

For example, if youΓÇÖre digging into a bowl of cereal that has the word ΓÇ£mapleΓÇ¥ on the package, and even images of maple leaves, you may think youΓÇÖre eating a product that contains maple syrup. But not so fastΓÇöthe taste may come from added flavors.

The same goes for the lemon drink youΓÇÖve made from a package picturing fresh lemons. You probably think it was made with lemons, but it may be flavored with natural or artificial lemon flavor.

Why?

Current regulations allow use of terms like ΓÇ£maple,ΓÇ¥ ΓÇ£maple-flavored,ΓÇ¥ or ΓÇ£artificially maple-flavoredΓÇ¥ on the food label without having any maple syrup in the product, as long as it contains maple flavoring. This flavoring could come from a number of sources, including sap or bark from the maple tree. Or it could come from the herb fenugreek, which can impart a maple-like flavor.

Likewise, a lemon-flavored food or drink doesnΓÇÖt necessarily have to contain lemons or lemon juice. However, this food has to be properly labeled if the source of the flavor is not from lemons. For example, if the flavor comes from an artificial source or a source other than lemon, the productΓÇÖs name must reflect artificial lemon flavor. And if a strawberry shortcake is made with artificial strawberry flavoring, it must be called artificial strawberry-flavored shortcake.

Not everyone cares if the food actually includes a certain ingredient, as long as the flavor tastes right to them. But, says Douglas Balentine, Ph.D., director of FDAΓÇÖs Office of Nutrition and Food Labeling, if you donΓÇÖt want a substitute source of the flavor youΓÇÖre seekingΓÇöif, say, you want real maple syrup in your foodΓÇöthe information you need will be in the ingredient list on the food package.

What to Look for on the Ingredient List

Look for a specific mention of the original flavor source on the ingredient list. Some tips:

If you want a maple food that is made with maple syrup, look for the words ΓÇ£maple syrupΓÇ¥ in the ingredient list. In addition, the firm may voluntarily declare ΓÇ£made with 100% maple syrupΓÇ¥ elsewhere on the label.

In some situations, you may see the term ΓÇ£natural flavorΓÇ¥ in the ingredient list. If the maple flavor comes from a natural maple flavor, you may see ΓÇ£natural maple flavorΓÇ¥ or ΓÇ£natural flavorΓÇ¥ in the ingredient list.

If you want a product made or flavored with the actual fruit, look for the name of the fruit (ΓÇ£grapefruitΓÇ¥) or the name of a juice made from the fruit (ΓÇ£grapefruit juiceΓÇ¥) in the ingredient list.

There are some exceptions. So, a product labeled as a butter productΓÇöfor instance, ΓÇ£butter cookiesΓÇ¥ΓÇöhas to be 100 percent butter to include the term. If the food contains both butter and shortening, an appropriate name would be ΓÇ£butter-flavored.ΓÇ¥

And if you want real chocolate, look for ΓÇ£chocolateΓÇ¥ in the ingredient list.

According to Felicia Billingslea, director of the FDAΓÇÖs Food Labeling and Standards Staff, there is also a caveat involving the use of cocoa as an ingredient. ΓÇ£Consumers have long recognized that products like chocolate pudding, cake, and cookies may be made with cocoa,ΓÇ¥ she says. As long as ΓÇ£cocoaΓÇ¥ is listed in the ingredient list, the name of the food can include the term ΓÇ£chocolate in certain situations.ΓÇ¥

Finally, if the name of the food is accompanied by terms such as ΓÇ£artificial flavors,ΓÇ¥ or ΓÇ£natural and artificial flavors,ΓÇ¥ it is a signal that the original source of the flavor may not have been used in the food.

Where Does the FDA Come In?

The FDA monitors food products to ensure that what is written on the package is not misleading or inaccurate and it can, when necessary, take action against the food company. Domestically, warning letters can be followed by enforcement actions such as seizures. Imported foods can be detained until the importer can correct the label.

ΓÇ£Ultimately we want consumers to be able to make informed choices about their foods, and FDAΓÇÖs job is to make sure consumers know what theyΓÇÖre getting,ΓÇ¥ says Balentine.

This article appears on the FDAΓÇÖs Consumer Updates page, which features the latest on all FDA-regulated products. For more information, click here to visit the agency’s website.