Natural Flavors: the best stuff on earth

The other day I was enjoying an overpriced Snapple Raspberry Tea with my overpriced sandwich from the overpriced cafeteria near my office. I noticed the byline on the Snapple label proudly displayed their familiar slogan "Made from the best stuff on Earth" I wondered what 'best stuff' they were referring to. To me, the best stuff on earth is the other blogger, family, friends and DVR. I quickly grew concerned that Snapple was brewing with sun dried bits of my immediate family and unwatched episodes of Parks and Recreation.

The other side of the label explains what Snapple means by best stuff:

• Filtered water
• Sugar
• Citric acid
• Tea
• Natural Flavors

That ingredient list is nice, but the proclamation of 'the best' is more than a bit of a stretch. While contemplating their version of the best stuff, the ingredient 'natural flavors' was pause for concern. What is a natural flavor? It is on almost every ingredient list in the grocery store. One would assume a natural flavor is a flavor that occurs naturally in nature. To an uneducated consumer like myself that could mean anything from whale oil to cockroach excrement extract. What natural flavor made my tea taste like raspberry? I would hope a raspberry extract of some kind.  As with every question these days I looked to the internet and government for answers.

FDA.gov defines 'natural flavors' as:

"Natural flavoring substances and natural adjuvants may be safely used in food in accordance with the following conditions.

(a) They are used in the minimum quantity required to produce their intended physical or technical effect and in accordance with all the principles of good manufacturing practice.

(b) In the appropriate forms (plant parts, fluid and solid extracts, concentrates, absolutes, oils, gums, balsams, resins, oleoresins, waxes, and distillates) they consist of one or more of the following, used alone or in combination with flavoring substances and adjuvants generally recognized as safe in food, previously sanctioned for such use, or regulated in any section of this part."

The full list of FDA approved natural flavors at the bottom of the page includes dozens of substances from aloe to yucca and weird stuff like moss, pine needles, twigs and wood.

Raspberry (in any form of the Rubus subgenus) is not even on the list of approved natural flavors, the closest flavor is blackberry bark. I wonder what proprietary cocktail of natural flavors produces Snapple's version of raspberry. If Snapple is truely using the best stuff on earth, why are they using this umbrella term natural flavors and only providing an incomplete listing of their best stuff.... I guess it's up to the consumer to guess what the rest of the best stuff is.

 Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, volume 3 

(via fda.gov)

Common name	Scientific name	Limitations
Aloe	Aloe perryiBaker,A. barbadensisMill.,A. feroxMill., and hybrids of this sp. withA. africanaMill. andA. spicataBaker
Althea root and flowers	Althea officinalisL
Amyris (West Indian sandalwood)	Amyris balsamiferaL
Angola weed	Roccella fuciformisAch	In alcoholic beverages only
Arnica flowers	Arnica montanaL.,A. fulgensPursh,A. sororiaGreene, orA. cordifoliaHooker	Do.
Artemisia (wormwood)	Artemisiaspp	Finished food thujone free1
Artichoke leaves	Cynara scolymusL	In alcoholic beverages only
Benzoin resin	Styrax benzoinDryander,S. paralleloneurusPerkins,S. tonkinensis(Pierre) Craib ex Hartwich, or other spp. of the SectionAnthostyraxof the genusStyrax
Blackberry bark	Rubus,SectionEubatus
Boldus (boldo) leaves	Peumus boldusMol	Do.
Boronia flowers	Boronia megastigmaNees
Bryonia root	Bryonia albaL., orB. diociaJacq	Do.
Buchu leaves	Barosma betulinaBartl. et Wendl.,B. crenulata(L.) Hook. orB. serratifoliaWilld
Buckbean leaves	Menyanthes trifoliataL	Do.
Cajeput	Melaleuca leucadendronL. and otherMelaleucaspp
Calumba root	Jateorhiza palmata(Lam.) Miers	Do.
Camphor tree	Cinnamomum camphora(L.) Nees et Eberm	Safrole free
Cascara sagrada	Rhamnus purshianaDC
Cassie flowers	Acacia farnesiana(L.) Willd
Castor oil	Ricinus communisL
Catechu, black	Acacia catechuWilld
Cedar, white (aborvitae), leaves and twigs	Thuja occidentalisL	Finished food thujone free1
Centuary	Centaurium umbellatumGilib	In alcoholic beverages only
Cherry pits	Prunus aviumL. orP. cerasusL	Not to exceed 25 p.p.m. prussic acid
Cherry-laurel leaves	Prunus laurocerasusL	Do.
Chestnut leaves	Castanea dentata(Marsh.) Borkh
Chirata	Swertia chirataBuch.-Ham	In alcoholic beverages only
Cinchona, red, bark	Cinchona succirubraPav. or its hybrids	In beverages only; not more than 83 p.p.m. total cinchona alkaloids in finished beverage
Cinchona, yellow, bark	Cinchona ledgerianaMoens,C. calisayaWedd., or hybrids of these with other spp. ofCinchona.	Do.
Copaiba	South American spp. ofCopaiferaL
Cork, oak	Quercus suberL., orQ. occidentalisF. Gay	In alcoholic beverages only
Costmary	Chrysanthemum balsamitaL	Do.
Costus root	Saussurea lappaClarke
Cubeb	Piper cubebaL. f
Currant, black, buds and leaves	Ribes nigrumL
Damiana leaves	Turnera diffusaWilld
Davana	Artemisia pallensWall
Dill, Indian	Anethum sowaRoxb. (Peucedanum graveolensBenth et Hook.,Anethum graveolensL.)
Dittany (fraxinella) roots	Dictamnus albusL	Do.
Dittany of Crete	Origanum dictamnusL
Dragon's blood (dracorubin)	Daemonoropsspp
Elder tree leaves	Sambucus nigraL	In alcoholic beverages only; not to exceed 25 p.p.m. prussic acid in the flavor
Elecampane rhizome and roots	Inula heleniumL	In alcoholic beverages only
Elemi	Canarium communeL. orC. luzonicumMiq
Erigeron	Erigeron canadensisL
Eucalyptus globulus leaves	Eucalyptus globulusLabill
Fir ("pine") needles and twigs	Abies sibiricaLedeb.,A. albaMill.,A. sachalinesisMasters orA. mayrianaMiyabe et Kudo
Fir, balsam, needles and twigs	Abies balsamea(L.) Mill
Galanga, greater	Alpinia galangaWilld	Do.
Galbanum	Ferula galbanifluaBoiss. et Buhse and otherFerulaspp
Gambir (catechu, pale)	Uncaria gambirRoxb
Genet flowers	Spartium junceumL
Gentian rhizome and roots	Gentiana luteaL
Gentian, stemless	Gentiana acaulisL	Do.
Germander, chamaedrys	Teucrium chamaedrysL	Do.
Germander, golden	Teucrium poliumL	Do.
Guaiac	Guaiacum officinaleL.,G. santumL.,Bulnesia sarmientiLor
Guarana	Paullinia cupanaHBK
Haw, black, bark	Viburnum prunifoliumL
Hemlock needles and twigs	Tsuga canadensis(L.) Carr. orT. heterophylla(Raf.) Sarg
Hyacinth flowers	Hyacinthus orientalisL
Iceland moss	Cetraria islandicaAch	Do.
Imperatoria	Peucedanum ostruthium(L.). Koch (Imperatoria ostruthiumL.)
Iva	Achillea moschataJacq	Do.
Labdanum	Cistusspp
Lemon-verbena	Lippia citriodoraHBK	Do.
Linaloe wood	Bursera delpechianaPoiss. and otherBurseraspp
Linden leaves	Tilliaspp	Do.
Lovage	Levisticum officinaleKoch
Lungmoss (lungwort)	Sticta pulmonaceaAch
Maidenhair fern	Adiantum capillus-venerisL	Do.
Maple, mountain	Acer spicatumLam
Mimosa (black wattle) flowers	Acacia decurrensWilld. var.dealbata
Mullein flowers	Verbascum phlomoidesL. orV. thapsiformeSchrad	Do.
Myrrh	Commiphora molmolEngl.,C. abyssinica(Berg) Engl., or otherCommiphoraspp
Myrtle leaves	Myrtus communisL	Do.
Oak, English, wood	Quercus roburL	Do.
Oak, white, chips	Quercus albaL
Oak moss	Evernia prunastri(L.) Ach.,E. furfuracea(L.) Mann, and other lichens	Finished food thujone free1
Olibanum	Boswellia carteriBirdw. and otherBoswelliaspp
Opopanax (bisabolmyrrh)	Opopanax chironiumKoch (true opopanax) ofCommiphora erythraeaEngl. var.Llabrescens
Orris root	Iris germanicaL. (including its varietyflorentinaDykes) andI. pallidaLam
Pansy	Viola tricolorL	In alcoholic beverages only
Passion flower	Passiflora incarnataL
Patchouly	Pogostemon cablinBenth. andP. heyneanusBenth
Peach leaves	Prunus persica(L.) Batsch	In alcoholic beverages only; not to exceed 25 p.p.m. prussic acid in the flavor
Pennyroyal, American	Hedeoma pulegioides(L.) Pers
Pennyroyal, European	Mentha pulegiumL
Pine, dwarf, needles and twigs	Pinus mugoTurra var.pumilio(Haenke) Zenari
Pine, Scotch, needles and twigs	Pinus sylvestrisL
Pine, white, bark	Pinus strobusL	In alcoholic beverages only
Pine, white oil	Pinus palustrisMill., and otherPinusspp
Poplar buds	Populus balsamiferaL. (P. tacamahaccaMill.),P. candicansAit., orP. nigraL	Do.
Quassia	Picrasma excelsa(Sw.) Planch, orQuassia amaraL
Quebracho bark	Aspidosperma quebracho-blancoSchlecht, or (Quebrachia lorentzii(Griseb))	Schinopsis lorentzii(Griseb.) Engl.
Quillaia (soapbark)	Quillaja saponariaMol
Red saunders (red sandalwood)	Pterocarpus san alinusL	In alcoholic beverages only
Rhatany root	Krameria triandraRuiz et Pav. orK. argenteaMart
Rhubarb, garden root	Rheum rhaponticumL	Do.
Rhubarb root	Rheum officinaleBaill.,R. palmatumL., or other spp. (exceptingR. rhaponticumL.) or hybrids ofRheumgrown in China
Roselle	Hibiscus sabdariffaL	Do.
Rosin (colophony)	Pinus palustrisMill., and otherPinusspp	Do.
St. Johnswort leaves, flowers, and caulis	Hypericum perforatumL	Hypericin-free alcohol distillate form only; in alcoholic beverages only
Sandalwood, white (yellow, or East Indian)	Santalum albumL
Sandarac	Tetraclinis articulata(Vahl.), Mast	In alcoholic beverages only
Sarsaparilla	Smilax aristolochiaefoliaMill., (Mexican sarsaparilla),S. regeliiKillip et Morton (Honduras sarsaparilla),S. febrifugaKunth (Ecuadorean sarsaparilla), or undeterminedSmilaxspp. (Ecuadorean or Central American sarsaparilla)
Sassafras leaves	Sassafras albidum(Nutt.) Nees	Safrole free
Senna, Alexandria	Cassia acutifoliaDelile
Serpentaria (Virginia snakeroot)	Aristolochia serpentariaL	In alcoholic beverages only
Simaruba bark	Simaruba amaraAubl	Do.
Snakeroot, Canadian (wild ginger)	Asarum canadenseL
Spruce needles and twigs	Picea glauca(Moench) Voss orP. mariana(Mill.) BSP
Storax (styrax)	Liquidambar orientalisMill. orL. styracifluaL
Tagetes (marigold)	Tagetes patulaL.,T. erectaL., orT. minutaL. (T. glanduliferaSchrank)	As oil only
Tansy	Tanacetum vulgareL	In alcoholic beverages only; finished alcoholic beverage thujone free1
Thistle, blessed (holy thistle)	Onicus benedictusL	In alcoholic beverages only
Thymus capitatus(Spanish "origanum")	Thymus capitatusHoffmg. et Link
Tolu	Myroxylon balsamum(L.) Harms
Turpentine	Pinus palustrisMill. and otherPinusspp. which yield terpene oils exclusively
Valerian rhizome and roots	Valeriana officinalisL
Veronica	Veronica officinalisL	Do.
Vervain, European	Verbena officinalisL	Do.
Vetiver	Vetiveria zizanioidesStapf	Do.
Violet, Swiss	Viola calcarataL
Walnut husks (hulls), leaves, and green nuts	Juglans nigraL. orJ. regiaL
Woodruff, sweet	Asperula odorataL	In alcoholic beverages only
Yarrow	Achillea millefoliumL	In beverages only; finished beverage thujone free1
Yerba santa	Eriodictyon californicum(Hook, et Arn.) Torr
Yucca, Joshua-tree	Yucca brevifoliaEngelm
Yucca, Mohave	Yucca schidigeraRoezl ex Ortgies (Y. mohavensisSarg.)

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=172.510