Natural Flavors vs Artificial Flavors: What the Label Means
“Natural flavors” is one of the most common lines on a food or supplement label, and “artificial flavor” shows up on plenty of others. Both are defined terms in US food law. This guide explains what each one means under the FDA rule, how flavors are worded in the ingredient list and on the front of the package, what changes on an organic label, and where the words appear on products in our catalog.
How we wrote this: the definitions and labeling rules come from FDA regulation 21 CFR 101.22, quoted or paraphrased closely. The organic rule comes from USDA regulation 7 CFR 205.605. Product examples come only from labels and brand pages we already recorded for our catalog. We did not lab test anything, and labels change, so the package in your hand is the final word.
Natural flavors vs artificial flavors: the short answer
The difference is the source. Under the FDA rule, a natural flavor contains flavoring constituents derived from a listed group of foods and plant or animal materials. An artificial flavor is any substance used to impart flavor that is not derived from that group. Neither term tells you the specific source on its own, and the rule lets a brand use the general words in the ingredient list.
| Label point | Natural flavor | Artificial flavor |
|---|---|---|
| Defined in | 21 CFR 101.22(a)(3) | 21 CFR 101.22(a)(1) |
| Source | Derived from spices, fruits, vegetables, edible yeast, herbs, bark, buds, roots, leaves or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy, or fermentation products of these | Not derived from that list |
| Ingredient list wording | “natural flavor” is allowed | “artificial flavor” is allowed |
| Front label when it backs the main flavor | “with other natural flavor” in some cases | “artificial” or “artificially flavored” |
What the FDA definitions say
The full text sits in 21 CFR 101.22. Here are the two key definitions.
Natural flavor. The rule defines natural flavor or natural flavoring as “the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.”
Artificial flavor. The rule defines artificial flavor or artificial 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.”
Two points stand out. First, the test is about where the flavoring constituents come from and what they do in the food. A natural flavor’s main job must be flavor, not nutrition. Second, the natural list includes animal sources such as meat, seafood, eggs and dairy, so “natural flavor” on its own does not tell you whether a plant or animal source was used. For an example on a plant milk carton, see our oat milk vs almond milk labels guide.
How flavors are worded in the ingredient list
Under 101.22(h)(1), spice, natural flavor and artificial flavor “may be declared as ‘spice’, ‘natural flavor’, or ‘artificial flavor’, or any combination thereof, as the case may be.” That is why many labels print just “natural flavors” with no source named. Some brands choose to name it anyway. Both styles show up in our catalog:
- RXBAR Chocolate Sea Salt lists dates, egg whites, cashews, almonds, chocolate, cocoa, natural flavors and sea salt (RXBAR).
- LMNT Citrus Salt names its flavor: salt, citric acid, magnesium malate, potassium chloride, natural lemon and lime flavors, and stevia leaf extract (LMNT).
- Carlson The Very Finest Fish Oil is described by the brand as having natural lemon flavor (Carlson).
Flavor is listed in the same order-by-weight ingredient list as everything else, so its position tells you roughly where it falls in the recipe. For how the rest of the panel reads, see our guide to reading a Nutrition Facts label. On a supplement, flavors usually sit under “Other ingredients”, which our supplement label guide covers.
Front-label wording: “artificially flavored” and “with other natural flavor”
The front of the package follows a separate part of the rule, 101.22(i). When a label points to a main flavor, by words or by a picture such as a fruit, the rule calls it the characterizing flavor and sets how it must be worded:
- If no artificial flavor simulates, resembles or reinforces that flavor, the food name is accompanied by the flavor name, such as “vanilla”.
- If the food also has natural flavor from other sources that simulates, resembles or reinforces the main flavor, the name is followed by the words “with other natural flavor”.
- If any artificial flavor simulates, resembles or reinforces the main flavor, the flavor name must carry the word “artificial” or “artificially flavored”, for example “artificial vanilla” or “artificially flavored strawberry”.
A catalog example: Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey in Double Rich Chocolate lists “Natural and Artificial Flavor” in its ingredients, and the label is marked artificially flavored (Optimum Nutrition label).
“Organic natural flavors” and the USDA rule
On a USDA organic product, flavors also have to meet the National Organic Program list in 7 CFR 205.605. The entry for flavors reads: “nonsynthetic flavors may be used when organic flavors are not commercially available. All flavors must be derived from organic or nonsynthetic sources only and must not be produced using synthetic solvents and carrier systems or any artificial preservative.”
So an organic product can carry either an organic flavor or, when an organic one is not commercially available, a nonsynthetic one. Orgain Organic Protein in Creamy Chocolate Fudge lists “Organic Natural Flavors” in its ingredients, and Orgain labels the flavor USDA Organic (Orgain). A single-ingredient organic product has no flavor line at all, as the two Jade Leaf packs in our ceremonial vs culinary matcha labels guide show.
“No artificial flavors” claims
Some brands state what a product leaves out. Thorne lists its Vitamin B12 (methylcobalamin) as having no artificial colors or flavors, and its other ingredients are leucine, microcrystalline cellulose, silicon dioxide and a hypromellose capsule (Thorne). A statement like that tells you what is absent; the ingredient list tells you what is present. Read both.
What the words do not tell you
- The exact source. “Natural flavor” covers plant and animal sources, and the label may not say which.
- The amount. Flavors are not given a gram amount on a Nutrition Facts panel. Some supplement labels do list one: the label for Transparent Labs Grass-Fed Whey Protein Isolate in Milk Chocolate lists natural flavors at 480 mg per serving (Transparent Labs label).
- Anything beyond the definition. The rule sets what the words mean on a label. It is a naming rule, not a ranking of one kind of flavor over the other.
If you need to know a specific source, for example because of a food allergy or a dietary practice, contact the brand and ask your doctor, allergist or pharmacist about anything you are unsure of.
FAQ
What is the difference between natural and artificial flavors?
The source. Under 21 CFR 101.22, natural flavors are derived from a listed group of foods and plant or animal materials, and artificial flavors are flavoring substances not derived from that group.
Why do labels say “natural flavors” without naming the source?
The FDA rule lets a label declare flavors simply as “natural flavor” or “artificial flavor”. Naming the source, as LMNT does with “natural lemon and lime flavors”, is the brand’s choice.
Can natural flavors come from animals?
Yes. The definition includes meat, seafood, poultry, eggs and dairy products, as well as plant sources.
What does “artificially flavored” on the front mean?
It means an artificial flavor simulates, resembles or reinforces the main flavor named on the package, as on the Optimum Nutrition Double Rich Chocolate label.
Can an organic product use natural flavors?
Yes. Under 7 CFR 205.605, nonsynthetic flavors may be used when organic flavors are not commercially available, with limits on solvents, carriers and preservatives.