Natural Watermelon Flavor
Flavors + Colors
Questionable
Details
Definition
Chemical mixture originally derived solely from watermelon and created to mimic naturally occurring flavors.
Organic Natural Flavors are slightly more regulated, and cannot contain propylene glycol, polyglycerol esters of fatty acids, mono- and diglycerides, benzoic acid, polysorbate 80, medium chain triglycerides, BHT, BHA, triacetin.
AKAs
-
Health Impact
Natural flavors can be made with many chemicals, none of which are required to be disclosed on the product label, so it can be very hard to determine what harmful ingredients lie within them. Flavors derived from a specific ingredient likely only use chemicals available in that food, so are slightly more regulated. In general, flavors are created to make food more palatable, so they can be addictive, leading consumers to eat more without feeling full.
Sources
The Flavor Rundown: Natural vs. Artificial Flavors
http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2015/the-flavor-rundown-natural-vs-artificial-flavors/Synthetic ingredients in Natural Flavors and Natural Flavors in Artificial flavors
https://www.ewg.org/foodscores/content/natural-vs-artificial-flavors/We are what we eat: Regulatory gaps in the United States that put our health at risk
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5737876/Food-Induced Anaphylaxis: Role of Hidden Allergens and Cofactors
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6457317/