Flavourings

When food needs help tasting like itself.

Flavourings are added to intensify or restore taste lost during industrial processing. Natural or artificial — they signal that the base ingredients no longer taste as they should. BOTIA flags them as markers of ultra-processed food.

Why this matters

Real food does not need flavourings. When a product lists 'natural flavouring' or 'flavour enhancer', it means the original ingredients were processed to the point where their natural taste was lost — and had to be added back artificially. According to NOVA (FAO, 2019), flavourings are a defining marker of ultra-processed food.

What BOTIA looks for

BOTIA detects flavour enhancers and artificial flavourings: monosodium glutamate (E621), yeast extract, hydrolyzed protein, natural flavouring, artificial flavouring, and smoke flavourings. Natural flavouring is particularly opaque — it can come from animals, plants, or fermentation, and the label does not say which.

BOTIA CAN

  • Detect flavour enhancers and artificial flavourings declared on the label.
  • Flag 'natural flavouring' as an ingredient of undeclared origin.
  • Signal ultra-processed food markers based on NOVA classification.

BOTIA CANNOT

  • Determine the exact source of natural flavourings — only the manufacturer knows.
  • Tell you whether flavourings affect you personally.
  • Replace medical or nutritional advice.

Natural flavouring is one of the most opaque declarations on a food label. For Muslim Choice implications, see the Muslim module.

Sources: NOVA Classification (FAO, 2019) · EU 1334/2008 Flavourings · EFSA Flavourings

Learn more about flavourings