{"id":3637,"date":"2012-06-08T11:52:33","date_gmt":"2012-06-08T18:52:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/?p=3637"},"modified":"2013-01-25T14:51:28","modified_gmt":"2013-01-25T22:51:28","slug":"vegan-beware-natural-flavorings-and-other-hidden-animal-sources-in-your-food-supply","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.happycow.net\/blog\/vegan-beware-natural-flavorings-and-other-hidden-animal-sources-in-your-food-supply\/","title":{"rendered":"“Natural” Flavorings and Other Hidden Animal Sources in Your Food Supply"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nVegan Beware: Natural Flavorings and Other Hidden Animal Sources in your Food Supply\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Finding an ingredient listed as \u201cnatural flavorings\u201d may very well be one of the most confusing, misleading and costly issues we face today with truth in labeling practices. In fact, as a Vegan this is especially troublesome because companies are not required to list the source of the flavorings, whether from animal or plant.\u00a0 Here we\u2019ll go over some definitions and then I\u2019ll give some examples of typical natural flavorings and their sources as well as other hidden animal sources in our food supply.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the official definition as stated in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (Title 21, Section 101, part 22):<\/p>\n

\u201cThe term natural flavor or natural flavoring means the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products<\/strong>, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Both artificial and natural flavors are made by flavorists in a laboratory by blending either \u201cnatural\u201d chemicals or \u201csynthetic\u201d chemicals to create a desired flavor and as you can imagine, it truly is a science.\u00a0 Gary Reineccus, a professor in the department of food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota, says that the distinction between natural and artificial flavorings is based on the original source of these often identical chemicals.\u00a0 Natural flavorings basically just means that before the source went through many chemical processes, that it originally came from a natural source as opposed to artificial which has no natural origin.\u00a0 So, if it came from nature, then is it natural and if its natural does that translate to better for you than it\u2019s artificial cousin?\u00a0 Not always.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a look at some examples.<\/p>\n

\"\"Wine<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wine clearly comes from grapes.\u00a0 Grapes come from a vine.\u00a0 So, should we assume therefore that it\u2019s Vegan?\u00a0 Nope.\u00a0 According to research conducted by the Vegetarian Journal, a clarifying or fining agent makes wine clear by removing proteins from the wine.\u00a0 Depending on the type of wine and the desired flavor, different types of proteins are used.\u00a0 Some clarifiers are animal-based, while others are earth-based.\u00a0 Common agents include egg whites, milk, casein, gelatin and isinglass (prepared from the bladder of the sturgeon fish).\u00a0 Bentonite, a clay earth product, serves as a popular fining agent.\u00a0 The main problem here is that the ingredient list (if one even exists on the label) will not state the clarifying agent as an ingredient because it is removed from the final product.\u00a0 Some consumers might assume that if a wine is Kosher that it ensures that animal-based clarifying agents are not used but this is not so.\u00a0 The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations stated that all their Kosher certified American-made wines do not currently use gelatin, isinglass or egg whites.\u00a0 As far as international Kosher wines go, the Orthodox Union states that wine could theoretically be certified even if egg whites or gelatin were used because they are removed from the final product. If in doubt about your favorite wines, contacting the company directly seems to be the only way of knowing for sure.<\/p>\n

Castoreum<\/p>\n

This chemical is derived from a gland taken out of beaver and is located very close the beaver\u2019s anus.\u00a0 I know it may be hard to believe but after a lot of processing, it is considered a legal \u201cnatural flavoring\u201d and will be listed as such in an ingredient list.\u00a0 Common foods that might contain castoreum are raspberry, strawberry and vanilla flavoring, ice cream, soda and yogurt.\u00a0 Below you\u2019ll find a list of reported foods and beverages containing castoreum extract according to Fenaroli\u2019s Handbook of Flavor Ingredients published in 2005:<\/p>\n

Reported Uses PPM (parts per million) (Fema* 1994):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Food Category<\/strong><\/td>\nUsual<\/strong><\/td>\nMax<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Alcoholic Beverages<\/td>\n79.59<\/td>\n93.69<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Baked Goods<\/td>\n62.28<\/td>\n68.47<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gelatins, Puddings<\/td>\n43.58<\/td>\n47.34<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Soft Candy<\/td>\n37.28<\/td>\n44.10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Frozen Dairy<\/td>\n24.39<\/td>\n26.26<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nonalcoholic Beverages<\/td>\n24.21<\/td>\n29.77<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hard Candy<\/td>\n24.17<\/td>\n24.17<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chewing Gum<\/td>\n18.60<\/td>\n42.09<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Carmine, aka Natural Red #4<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some of you may recall the media frenzy around Starbucks just a few months ago when a certain Vegan journalist got a tip from one of their employees that they had replaced an artificial coloring agent with Carmine in their Strawberry Frappuccino\u2019s. Natural Red #4 is made from the cochina beetle.\u00a0 These beetles are dried, ground up, processed and added to foods that are designed to have a red coloring or food that is supposed to be red but lost its coloring during processing.\u00a0 To their credit, Starbucks responded by removing Carmine and replacing it with tomato extract the following month.<\/p>\n

Chewing Gum, Maple Syrup and E numbers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most chewing gums innocuously list \u201cgum base\u201d as one of their ingredients, masking the fact that petroleum, lanolin, glycerin, polyethylene, polyvinyl acetate, petroleum wax, stearic acid (stearic acid is used as a binder in foods and its source may be either animal or vegetable.\u00a0 It is also used in butter flavoring, vanilla flavoring and candy<\/em>).\u00a0 Furthermore, many brands list glycerin and glycerol as ingredients, both of which can be animal derived.<\/p>\n

Maple syrup is sometimes treated with a very small amount of animal fat, butter or cream to reduce foaming but most modern producers use synthetic compounds according to the Vegetarian Resource Group.\u00a0 Basically, if you want to know then ask the company what kind of defoaming agent they use.<\/p>\n

With so many European Happy Cow readers(or travelers to this area of the world), we thought it would be prudent to cover the issue of E numbers on ingredient lists.\u00a0 Here are the numbers Vegans will want to avoid:<\/p>\n