Natural Products

I recently attended the natural products expo - Expo East - to check out the latest and greatest edible substances (aka. food, grub, cuisine) on the market. [Natural supplement & body care products also have a place at the show but I will ignore them for the purposes of this blog.]  All products on display were free of artificial ingredients including artificial colors, artificial flavors, synthetic preservatives and hydrogenated oils.  Exhibitors included large multinational conglomerates in the guise of the natural product companies they've acquired for hundreds of millions of dollars (ie. Kellogg's represented by Kashi and Bear Naked), well-established independent brands, and regional entrepreneurs.  Samples and sales pitches were abundant and varied to cater to the needs of practically every lifestyle on the planet.  Raw, vegan, lactose intolerant, gluten-free, low-carb, etc.  You name it; there is a company trying to capitalize on your allergy, dietary preference, weight loss aspiration or medical condition.

Some brands boasted what they didn't contain (ie. gluten, dairy, fat, or calories), while others enticed with functional ingredients (fiber, antioxidants, and omega-3's) they've added to their products to set themselves apart from the competition - and from nature.  At times, it seemed almost too good to be true: high fiber multi-grain chips, carb-free noodles, sugar-free energy drinks, decadent dark chocolate candy containing a day's worth of 15 vitamins & minerals.  I was often let down when I read the ingredient lists of these miraculous products.  The slightest attention to fine print makes it glaringly apparent that natural food manufacturers use many of the same tricks and deceptive marketing tactics that the rest of the marketplace does.

Allow me to pull the wool from from over your eyes...



Don't get me wrong, natural products are a better choice.  They contain perfectly safe alternatives to artificial colors like annatto (a derivative of the achiote tree used in Latin cuisine), turmeric and paprika.  And natural preservatives like vitamin E and citric acid are relatively benign substitutes for the potentially carcinogenic substances used to extend the life of their conventional counterparts.  However, when it comes to enhancing the taste of packaged foods, there are some so-called natural food additives that are not as natural as you may think and not inconsequential to your health.

Sustained sales of a product largely hinge on its flavor and overall palatability.  Packaged foods, particularly ready-to-eat (RTE) meals, marinades and sauces, rely on additional "juice" to accentuate the flavor profile they claim on the label.  Eric Schlosser was one of the first folks to blow the whistle on flavoring agents added to processed foods with the publication of Fast Food Nation in 2001. While he is most concerned about publicizing the horrors of fast food, many of the arguments he makes to avoid the drive thru can be extended to products surrounded by a halo of healthy & natural claims.  Schlosser notes that "distinctions between artificial and natural flavors can be arbitrary and somewhat absurd, based on how the flavor has been made than on what is actually contains."  As you may remember, McDonald's became embroiled in a nasty lawsuit and PR fiasco when outraged vegetarians sued them for claiming their French Fries were free from animal ingredients even though the "natural flavor" used was indeed derived from beef.

Since most flavor companies keep their formulations top secret, food manufacturers don't always know exactly what they're putting in their products, or whether or not these additives are safe.  In fact, there are some instances in which artificial flavors are safer than natural ones.  One commonly cited example is almond flavor.  In order to be classified as natural, it must be "derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or other edible portions of a plant."  Peach or apricot pits usually serve as the raw material that flavor chemists manipulate to produce an essence of almonds.  However, pits of these stone fruits contain the lethal poison, hydrogen cyanide.  The chance that you will die from eating too many almond macaroons is very slim.  A more clear and present danger is the potential for bacterial contamination.  Several recent food recalls demonstrate the susceptibility of natural spices and flavors.  This past year, salmonella jeopardized the safety of a variety of spices containing tainted black pepper bottled by a company who promises to provide consumers with "Quality Products for Natural Living."  The reality is that agricultural products are inherently exposed to bacteria from the environment.  And the farther from the source that raw ingredients travel, the greater the chance of cross-contamination in the process of transport & handling.

And the last compelling reason to avoid natural flavors is the heightened sensory stimulation that they incite.  In his book, The End of Overeating, former FDA commissioner David Kessler explores the manipulative strategies used by the food industry to make food irresistible.  Interviews with industry insiders, neuroscientists and psychologists reveal the powerful influence that highly processed foods have on Americans' appetites.  Kessler blames the combination of sugar, fat and salt for stimulating neurons and the production of opioids responsible for overriding cues of satiety.  Products that are very spicy or excite several different taste sensations at once are extremely pleasurable to the palate.  While many whole food advocates would argue that nothing beats the flavor of just-picked sweet corn or homegrown garden tomatoes, I have to agree with Kessler: food scientists have figured out how to make edible substances not found in nature that are damn tasty.  When your palate becomes accustomed to processed foods made with strong flavoring agents, it actually reduces your taste buds' ability to perceive the subtle and nuanced flavors of fresh foods.  It's no wonder that many people report being "addicted" to one or another natural product (Kettle corn, nacho-flavored tortilla chips and barbecue potato chips are popular indulgences).  Have you been caught in the processed natural food trap?