There’s Nothing Vanilla about Vanilla

How Can You Tell if it’s Natural or Artificial Vanilla Flavor?

You’ve likely heard of “vanilla,”  but have you heard of “vanillin?” The term “vanilla” may bring to mind something plain or ordinary, but the vanilla/vanillin debate is anything but!

What is Natural Vanilla?

Vanilla extract provides a distinct, rich flavoring in our foods. Vanilla is sourced from the orchid Vanilla planifolia;  the only orchid used for industrial food production. Vanilla was first cultivated in Mesoamerica, but now up to 80% of vanilla extract is sourced from Madagascar. Vanilla production requires hand-pollination and a curing time of several months. This labor-intensive production, plus scarcity due to extreme weather events, makes vanilla the second most expensive spice in the world after saffron. As of this writing, one gallon of Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Pure Bourbon Vanilla Extract now retails for $499. One of our Eatiquette team members, who used to own and operate a bakery, saw vanilla extract prices increase from about $93 a gallon in 2013 to nearly $300 a gallon in 2018. With prices like that, it’s easy to see how a market for imitation vanilla arose.

What is Vanillin? the Villain?

The production of naturally derived imitation vanillas began in the 19th century by French chemists. Then, in the 1970s, chemists figured out how to commercialize a chemically synthesized form of vanillin that is molecularly identical to natural vanilla. Today, about 85% of vanillin is synthesized from a petrochemical origin. The remainder is mostly derived from wood pulp.

For those who are vegan, and worried about Castoreum (derived from beaver glands), don’t worry. Castoreum is hardly produced nowadays (1/10000th of vanillin production) unless you are into quirky schnapps. The animal’s wellbeing aside, why would you, if you can produce vanilla flavor much cheaper artificially?

The “Vanilla Vigilante” & Vanilla Labeling

Labeling requirements for naturally derived vanillas and synthetically derived vanillas have been codified by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). One of the main criteria is that if a product is labeled as “natural” then it must be derived from a natural source. So, if a product states it contains “natural flavorings’ then it should be natural, not synthetic. It sounds simple, but. . . . . 

The criteria and regulations for labeling vanilla are so confusing and complex that we could devote many posts to it. And if that surprises you, then consider the lawyer Spencer Sheehan, cleverly dubbed “the Vanilla Vigilante,” who has filed over 100 lawsuits citing mislabeling and false claims of vanilla as an ingredient. The lawsuits center on whether or not consumers understand that when the term “vanilla” is used on a package, it is referencing a flavor and not an ingredient. While many of these lawsuits have been dismissed by judges, the controversy highlights the confusion around this exotic ingredient. 

To be an informed consumer, and cut down on confusion, don’t just go by the imagery or “claims” on the Front of the Package, but instead use the Eatiquette app and the ingredients of concern feature to search for ingredients like “artificial flavor,” or “vanillin,” if you choose to avoid artificial flavors.

Natural is In

In the past few decades, consumers have been demanding natural-over-artificial in their food products, and some corporations listened. In 2015, Nestle USA committed to eliminating artificial flavors and FDA-certified colors (i.e. Red 40 and Yellow 5) from its chocolate candy products. Specifically, they declared that natural vanilla flavor would replace artificial vanillin.

But is Imitation Vanilla so Bad?

If you’ve shopped, you know you have a couple of options in the baking aisle: vanilla extract and imitation vanilla. Imitation vanilla is mainly synthetic vanillin. But, is imitation vanilla such a bad thing? Some home and commercial cooks don’t think so! The Epicurious test kitchen did a taste test where testers ate cookies baked with either vanilla extract or imitation vanilla. The results? People either couldn’t tell the difference between the two, or they chose the imitation vanilla cookies as the better bite!  While you can save money on flavoring your cookies, the chefs all recommended using the real thing for desserts that are baked at lower temps, such as puddings/custards, and uncooked toppings such as whipped creams. However, the chefs in the Cook’s Illustrated test kitchen conducted a rigorous test of vanilla and vanillin in puddings and frostings and they found that an imitation vanilla won, followed closely by a pure vanilla extract.

So what does this mean for you, the consumer?

The Eatiquette app can help you watch out for these terms when you use our “ingredient of concern” feature.  

You might be surprised to know that 16% of the products in our ever-growing database contain some form of vanilla ingredient. Almost 59% of those were natural (natural, extract, beans or pure), 17% were clearly stated as artificial or vanillin, and the remaining 24% were undefined (“vanilla flavor”-variants). It is this last category of “undefined” ingredients that is concerning and confusing to consumers. We can continue to demand transparency from food manufacturers, but until then you can be assured that if a product claims “pure” or “vanilla extract” as an ingredient, that it is regulated by the FDA. 

We aren’t telling you what to buy or how to choose, we are simply encouraging you to be aware. Always read the ingredient list on the back of the labels, not just the front of package labeling. We help you be a savvy shopper. So don’t forget your Eatiquette app when shopping in the aisle or online!