Once artificial flavors have been added, does anyone care if some part of the flavoring used is natural?
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Well. The American FDA considers monosodium glutamate (MSG) to be a natural flavor now. So I don’t really pay attention to that kind of labeling anymore. The American FDA is little more than a PR firm at this point.
Wait – the FDA considers MSG a natural flavor? Really?
Yes. Companies no longer have to list MSG in the ingredients list. They can list it under natural flavors or ingredients. The reasoning is that one source of MSG is “natural”. The problem is that the word natural means very little. A great many plants are natural by definition, but they will kill you. Nearly all of the chemicals that companies use come from natural sources. So just because something is natural doesn’t mean it is healthy by any means. Monosodium glutamate is a salt flavoring and flavor enhancer that has been shown to cause water retention. The chemical was once used to put dogs to sleep. Now we use it to flavor our chips (crisps).