The reassuring term, “natural”, as discussed in other threads here and on Chowhound, isn’t necessarily what the average customer assumes. It includes substances like castoreum, which is derived from beaver glands. The 60 Minutes feature on Givaudan is summarized in text below the video link here: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-flavorists-tweaking-tastes-and-creating-cravings-27-11-2011/ Though flavoring compounders chemically synthesize replicas of actual flavors/aromas found in nature, many still meet the legal qualifications that allow them to claim that they are natural. This is not to say that these flavorings will harm you. Who knows? Red dye #2 was widely used for a long time before its dangers were discovered.
