ACSH new book: Natural and Artificial Flavors: What's the Difference?

NEW YORK - Jan. 18, 2017 - PRLog -- The American Council on Science and Health, since 1978 America's premiere pro-science consumer advocacy non-profit, has released a new book titled "Natural and Artificial Flavors: What's the Difference?", in order to combat growing confusion about health issues related to food.

During the last decade, it has become increasingly fashionable to tout "natural" on product labels. It isn't just fringe companies that prey on chemophobia among less-informed members of the public, larger brands have also been exploiting consumers in this fashion.

Yet just as we have seen with environmentalists engaging in eco-terrorism when it comes to GMO trees - but destroying ordinary trees because they can't tell the difference - the distinction between artificial and natural flavors is entirely manufactured. No one can tell the difference outside a lab.

"The Council has always been about separating health scares from health threats, and the natural color and flavor craze is very much a health scare," said Dr. Josh Bloom, Senior Director of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the American Council on Science and Health and author of the peer-reviewed book. "There may be some differences in taste between a natural and artificial flavor, but that's because an artificial flavor is precise; a grape from a plant, for example, has a lot of variation in taste due to lots and lots of chemicals that make up its total flavor."

The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) is a 501(c)(3) science and health education and consumer advocacy nonprofit that was founded in 1978 to promote evidence-based science and health policy. Like all Council publications, this is open access and available free of charge to all consumers. It can be read or downloaded here:

http://acsh.org/news/2017/01/18/natural-and-artificial-fl....

If you would like to support evidence-based decision-making, you can make a tax-deductible donation here:

https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?...

For consumers who want a printed copy for their collection, the book can also be purchased on Amazon.