Artificial Flavor
Flavors + Colors
- Potentially Harmful
Definition
Chemical mixtures created to mimic naturally occurring flavors
Also Known As
Artificial Flavors, Flavorings, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Artificially Colored Red With Carmine , Natural and Artificial Flavor, Natural and Artificial Flavours, Natural and Artificial Flavour
Health Impact
Artificial flavors can be made with over hundreds of 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. Artificial flavors have been shown to reduce red blood cell production in animal testing, and certain flavors were shown to have a toxic effect on bone marrow cells. These flavors are also created to be addictive, leading consumers to eat more without feeling full.
Sources
- Toxicity of synthetic flavorings, nature identical and artificial, to hematopoietic tissue cells of rodents
Pub Med
- Assessment of Grape, Plum and Orange Synthetic Food Flavourings Using in vivo Acute Toxicity Tests
Pub Med
- The GRAS provision - The FEMA GRAS program and the safety and regulation of flavors in the United States
Pub Med
- We are what we eat: Regulatory gaps in the United States that put our health at risk
PLOS Biology
- Food-Induced Anaphylaxis: Role of Hidden Allergens and Cofactors
Frontiers in Immunology
- The Flavor Rundown: Natural vs. Artificial Flavors
Harvard University: Science In The News