We’re sure you see the term “natural flavors” a lot on packaged food at the grocery stores. But what does it actually mean?
At first glance it suggests that something’s healthy—or at the very least, harmless compared to the more in-your-face unpronounceable ingredients. In truth, it isn’t quite that simple.
The FDA defines the term to refer to “essential oil, oleoresin, essences” and the like derived from natural sources like plants or animals, and used for flavoring. But as author Roni Caryn Rabin points out in the New York Times, this comes with a loophole when it comes to non-organic foods. In this category, flavor manufacturers don’t have to disclose their ingredients—even if they do contain synthetic solvents, preservatives, emulsifiers, and the like—so foods that sneak those in can qualify as having “natural” flavors. Which is great for those companies’ profit, not so great for your body.
Here at Methodology, we don't hide any of the ingredients we use under the guise of "natural flavors.” Only wholesome and nourishing ingredients go into our food—think fruits and veggies, herbs and spices, unrefined sweeteners, fermented foods, and traditional condiments from around the globe.
The colors of the food you see peeking through our glass jars? Those come from real-deal colors like beets, spirulina, ube, and more. And where we do use powders, these are of the high-quality sort that preserves as many nutrients from the source. Though our meals are fully cooked (making them easy to heat!), you won’t find any preservatives in the stuff we make—which is why they need to be refrigerated, but that also means you’ll only be feeding your body with the good stuff.
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That’s color from real-deal, wholesome ingredients you see right there!