You scan ingredient lists like a detective, avoiding artificial this and processed that. But even your cleanest protein bars—RXBAR, KIND, those virtuous-looking brands lining Whole Foods shelves—contain something called “natural flavors.” Sounds innocent enough, right? Wrong.
The FDA defines “natural flavors” as substances extracted from plants or animals, but here’s what they don’t advertise: creating these flavors requires chemical solvents like ethanol, acetone, and propane. Your “natural” vanilla might start with vanilla beans, but it’s been stripped, concentrated, and chemically manipulated through laboratory processes.
The Clean Label Illusion
Even brands’ marketing transparency hides dozens of undisclosed compounds behind this single term.
RXBAR proudly states that their natural flavors come from “oils, essences, and extracts from natural sources.” What they don’t mention is that these flavoring agents can legally contain dozens of undisclosed compounds—carriers, preservatives, and processing aids that may not be natural at all.
Food companies aren’t required to reveal what’s actually in their “natural flavor” blend, creating a regulatory gap in ingredient lists. This opacity matters beyond philosophical purity.
Those hidden compounds could trigger allergic reactions or sensitivities, and you’d never know which specific ingredient caused the problem. Natural flavors are a hallmark of ultra-processed foods, designed to make products hyper-palatable.
Your Label-Reading Survival Guide
Simple tactics to avoid the marketing doublespeak and find genuinely clean products.
Here’s how to outsmart the system:
- Scan for “natural flavors” anywhere on the ingredient list—it’s your red flag for chemical processing
- Choose brands listing only recognizable whole-food ingredients without catch-all terms
- Stick with single-ingredient snacks when possible—plain nuts, fresh fruit, or unflavored yogurt never contain mystery compounds
- Contact manufacturers directly if concerned, though most won’t reveal proprietary flavor formulations
Registered dietitians acknowledge that products like RXBAR remain less processed than typical snack bars, but the presence of natural flavors still contradicts the whole-food narrative these brands promote.
Your best defense? Treat “natural flavors” like any other processing red flag. The cleanest foods don’t need laboratory-engineered taste enhancement—they taste like what they actually are.
