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FDA Natural Food, Artificial Flavor, & Additive Regulations

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is an agency located within the Department of Health and Human Services and has one goal in mind: to protect the health of the public by assuring that the food we eat and drugs we consume are safe. The FDA regularly updates its regulations consistent with the changing availability of food products and current demands to improve health. It also occasionally recalls food that it identifies as being harmful or unhealthy. The FDA has issued regulations for natural food, artificial flavor and additives, among many others.

  1. Natural food

    • According to Gourmet magazine, the FDA fails to add the word "natural" to their dictionary, claiming that natural food may be anything processors want it to be and not even comparing to organic food. As a result, the FDA hesitated in coming up with regulations for this "natural" food. However, recent regulations by the FDA apply the term natural to meat and poultry under the following conditions: The product must not contain any artificial flavor/flavoring, coloring ingredient or chemical preservative, or any other artificial/synthetic ingredient and the product and its ingredients must be only minimally processed which includes traditional processes such as roasting, freezing, grinding or drying. Solvent extraction acid hydrolysis and chemical bleaching are not allowed. A statement must accompany the product claiming why it is considered natural and that it does not contain artificial ingredients.

    Artificial Flavor

    • The FDA Code of Federal Regulations Title 21 defines artificial flavor/flavoring as "any substance, the function of which is to impart flavor, which is not derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof." Artificial flavor includes all substances which are not derived from natural sources.

      A statement should be placed on the food, or on its container or wrapper, claiming the addition of artificial flavor. Packaging should be large enough to provide space for this statement, otherwise the food will be exempt from compliance with the regulations. Lack of labeling may prevent the food from being sold. If the flavor is a mixture of natural and artificial flavor, it should be labeled as "natural and artificial flavor" or "artificial flavor" if it is solely artificial.

    Food Additives

    • All food additives used in food are carefully regulated by the FDA. Food and color additives are used to maintain or improve safety or freshness of food, to improve or maintain nutritional value or to improve taste, texture and appearance. These are any substances added to food which affect the characteristics of the food. Direct food additives are added to food for a specific purpose such as to add texture, while indirect food additives are those that may get into the food from its packaging or other handling. Both must be approved by the FDA for safety.

      Food additives are monitored and evaluated by the FDA, which considers the following: The composition and properties of the substance, the amount to be consumed, immediate and long-term health effects and safety factors. A level of consumption is established that determines how safe the additive is. The FDA issues regulations after approval including in what foods this additive may be used, the maximum amount to be used and how it should be labeled.

    Color Additives

    • Color additives are dyes, pigments or other substances that serve the purpose of correcting the food's color. They can be used to correct the color lost due to exposure to light, air, temperature or moisture. The FDA makes sure that foods with color additives are safe to eat, contain only approved ingredients and are labeled accurately. FDA-certified color additives must be listed on the label with their full name, but other colors may be listed as artificial coloring. The FDA classifies colors into two categories:

      Certified colors are human made or syntehtically produced and are able t o produce a range of intense hues. They include Blue No. 1 and 2, Red No. 3 and 40, Yellow No. 5 and 6, Orange B and Citrus Red No. 2. They do not add flavor to the food. Colors exempt from certification include pigments derived from natural sources such as minerals, vegetables or animals. These may add flavors to food, and include dehydrated beets, caramel, beta-carotene and grape skin extract.

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