The other day I’m drinking a Tropicana “100% Juice” Orange Juice, and happened to glance at the Ingredients:
100% Pure orange juice from concentrate (filtered water and concentrated orange juice) and Natural flavors*.
*Ingredient not found in regular orange juice
Now I’m wondering – what are these “natural flavors” that are different than “orange juice flavor” – luckily for all of us there’s a helpful 1800 number on the label! So I call, and ask, what’s with these extra flavors? The helpful woman asks if I have any food allergies that I’m worried about. I say no, I just want to know if some natural “dirt”, “asphalt” or “squirrel” flavor was lurking in my OJ. I authenticate as a non-prank caller by reading her my UPC Code, and then the answer is revealed:
The “natural flavors” are oils extracted from the orange peel/rind and added back to the juice.
Just today it occurs to me a followup question: if these flavors are “not found in regular orange juice”, how can they call it 100% juice?
I noticed the same labeling today (Feb15, 2006), but I was reading the ingredients label only because I was having an allergic reaction to the orange juice. Basically, I got the same hives that I get when I eat cardamom (e.g, in Indian food). I called the 800 number to see if the OJ contained cardamom and they wouldn’t tell me what the “natural flavors” is. They said it was proprietary……
I also have had the same reaction to Florida’s 100% Natural orange juice -I drink it and not even 15 minutes later I am itching and my skin is red. I love orange juice but this has been more common lately.
An interesting article explaining what those “natural ingredients” are (essentially engineered flavor packs):
http://www.foodrenegade.com/secret-ingredient-your-orange-juice