{"id":2733,"date":"2008-08-15T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2008-08-15T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.willclower.com\/blog\/2008\/08\/natural-define-natural.html"},"modified":"2016-09-21T10:33:46","modified_gmt":"2016-09-21T14:33:46","slug":"natural-define-natural","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2733","title":{"rendered":"Natural? Define “Natural”."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Everything is so confusing. What does \u201cnatural\u201d or \u201cartificial\u201d mean?<\/p>\n

For example, elderberry ice cream has added color from anthocyanins that were isolated from elderberries. THAT makes sense. The added color is considered natural since the elderberry color would be expected in an elderberry ice cream.<\/p>\n

Now it gets weird. If the ice cream were colored with anthocyanins isolated from purple sweet potato, the added color would be considered artificial, as the consumer would not expect color from purple sweet potato in a product called elderberry ice cream.<\/p>\n

As if playing confusion pile-on, the EU and US define terms differently. In the EU artificial color is an acceptable reference to what is recognized in the US as “color additives subject to certification,” “certified colors”, “Food, Drugs & Cosmetics (FD&C) colors”, or “synthetic colors”.<\/p>\n

What?<\/p>\n

Another example is sodium copper chlorophyllin, which is only approved in the USA for use in citrus-based dry beverage mixes, while in the EU it is allowed to color many more food and beverage applications. And lutein is allowed for use as a food and beverage color additive in the EU but not in the USA.<\/p>\n

Finally, if you isolate naturally derived colors from different sources the approvals change, depending on whether you are a US or EU company.<\/p>\n

According to a colorant industry spokesperson, \u201cThis potential for confusion and misinterpretation of a label by a consumer is limiting to the food manufacturer that uses naturally derived color additives and does not want to disclose the source of coloring.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cIt is essential that we learn to appreciate the language of color additives and how this language can change depending on the region in which you are working.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Alternatively, hey, I have an idea. Just eat normal food. Steer clear of eating something that requires legalese or is a blatant oxymoron (natural synthetic!).<\/p>\n

Read the entire article here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Everything is so confusing. What does \u201cnatural\u201d or \u201cartificial\u201d mean? For example, elderberry ice cream has added color from anthocyanins that were isolated from elderberries. THAT makes sense. The added … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[494,349],"tags":[301],"class_list":["post-2733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-food-safety","tag-dyes"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Qv5g-I5","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2734,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2734","url_meta":{"origin":2733,"position":0},"title":"Dye Supply Gone Dry?","author":"Will Clower","date":"August 14, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"In 2007, a late frost decimated European elderberry crops. Although this crop, and so the natural coloring it produced, were grown in other areas of the world, it drove the cost up significantly. This kind of cost craziness that can vary from year to year, makes the industry and their\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8356,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=8356","url_meta":{"origin":2733,"position":1},"title":"Add Color To Your Diet","author":"Will Clower","date":"June 29, 2020","format":"image","excerpt":"The expression \u201cEating a Rainbow\u201d is used by multiple health organizations to encourage us to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. When you eat a broad variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, you get healthy nutrients called phytochemicals. These are naturally occurring plant-based chemicals that protect plants against things\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"Assortment of fresh organic fruits and vegetables in rainbow colors","src":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Colorful-Produce-Banner-layout-scaled-e1771885877998.jpg?fit=1152%2C864&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Colorful-Produce-Banner-layout-scaled-e1771885877998.jpg?fit=1152%2C864&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Colorful-Produce-Banner-layout-scaled-e1771885877998.jpg?fit=1152%2C864&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Colorful-Produce-Banner-layout-scaled-e1771885877998.jpg?fit=1152%2C864&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Colorful-Produce-Banner-layout-scaled-e1771885877998.jpg?fit=1152%2C864&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2736,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2736","url_meta":{"origin":2733,"position":2},"title":"Dyes In Your Food","author":"Will Clower","date":"August 12, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Food companies LOVE artificial colors. They are consistent, you can make them in industrial sized tanker truck loads, and because it has nothing to do with living things, it is not subject to changes in the environment or any messy crop fluctuations.Made to eat, but unrelated to food.The problem is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12252,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=12252","url_meta":{"origin":2733,"position":3},"title":"Up Do Your Grilling Options","author":"Rita Madden","date":"April 29, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Up Do Your Options on the Grill Grilling vegetables and fruit is a healthy and delicious way to enjoy the natural sweetness and smoky flavors. Here's a simple recipe to get started: Ingredients: Assorted vegetables (such as zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms) Assorted fruits (such as pineapple,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/iStock-484064149-1.jpg?fit=724%2C483&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/iStock-484064149-1.jpg?fit=724%2C483&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/iStock-484064149-1.jpg?fit=724%2C483&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/mlcmmqmgggev.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/iStock-484064149-1.jpg?fit=724%2C483&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2735,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2735","url_meta":{"origin":2733,"position":4},"title":"Dyes Are Going Native","author":"Will Clower","date":"August 13, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Here is an indication of the change we are in the middle of.Back in 2005, Nestle promised to remove all artificial coloring from its products. 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