Natural Label Misleads

Kara Goldin shares insights about the deceptive nature of "natural" ingredients in beverages and food products, revealing how common ingredients are often not what consumers expect. Her experience led to creating her own natural flavoring process for Hint water.

• The term "natural" has a surprisingly broad definition in food/beverage industry:

  • Bone marrow is considered "natural" and used in some drinks
  • Cockroach wings are used for red food coloring
  • Many consumers are unaware they're consuming these ingredients

• Transparency issues in the industry:

  • Many mainstream drinks contain unexpected ingredients
  • Companies aren't required to explicitly list these natural ingredients
  • Even vegetarian/vegan consumers may unknowingly consume animal products

• Creating authentic natural flavors:

  • Initially experimented with fresh fruit in water
  • Discovered fresh fruit created bacterial issues and poor taste over time
  • Developed process using fruit skins and oils to create natural extracts
  • Uses grape skins to round out flavors
  • Spent nearly a year developing their own flavoring process
  • Works with dedicated third-party manufacturer for extracts

• Challenges with traditional flavoring:

  • Many flavor houses weren't transparent about ingredients
  • Natural flavors weren't "real" enough to meet their standards
  • Certain fruits like lemon and cherry required special attention to avoid artificial taste
  • No sugars or artificial sweeteners to mask flavors

The key point is that "natural" labeling can be misleading, and consumers deserve more transparency about what they're actually consuming in their food and beverages.