Natural Flavouring Substance

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Natural flavouring substances are flavour preparations and single substances, acceptable for human consumption, obtained exclusively by physical, microbiological, or enzymatic processes from plant or animal raw materials, either in their natural state or processed for human consumption. They are added to foods solely to impart, modify, or enhance taste and aroma, and are distinct from nature-identical and artificial flavouring substances.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

Safety is assessed on a substance-by-substance basis by EFSA (EU), JECFA (WHO/FAO), and FEMA/FDA (US), with each body evaluating chemical identity, toxicology, metabolism, and dietary exposure; no single ADI applies to the category as a whole. Some naturally occurring constituents of botanical flavouring sources (e.g., safrole, coumarin, pulegone) are recognised as substances of toxicological concern and are subject to maximum-level restrictions under EU Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008. A subset of substances on the EU Union list remain under active EFSA safety re-evaluation, meaning the safety profile of the category as a whole is not yet fully resolved.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
FSANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand) (Australia)	Approved	Regulated under Standard 1.3.1 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. Natural flavouring substances must be safe and suitable; individual substances are assessed against JECFA evaluations. No positive list of approved natural flavouring substances is maintained; safety is judged on evidence of safe use and relevant toxicological data. The term 'natural flavour' or 'natural flavouring' is permitted on labels.source
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Approved	Governed by Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008 on flavourings and certain food ingredients with flavouring properties. The Union list of approved flavouring substances was established by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 872/2012 (applicable from 1 October 2012). EFSA's Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings (FAF) performs risk assessments covering chemical properties, genotoxicity, toxicology, and dietary exposure. Substances still requiring finalisation of safety data carry a footnote 1 in the Union list ('under evaluation by EFSA'). Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008 also prohibits addition of certain naturally undesirable substances to food, sets maximum levels, and prescribes specific labelling requirements for use of the term 'natural'. Smoke flavourings are regulated separately under Regulation (EC) No 2065/2003.source
FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India)	Approved	Defined under Regulation 1.2.1(28) of the Food Safety and Standards Regulations 2009 as flavour preparations and single substances obtained exclusively by physical processes from plant or animal raw materials. Permitted at GMP levels under FSS (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, Appendix A (Category H – Flavours). Under FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations 2020, only the class name 'natural flavouring substance' (not the individual compound name) is required on product labels. FBOs may use natural, nature-identical, or artificial flavours in accordance with Regulation 3.3.1 of FSS (FPS&FA).

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Nut Allergy — Natural flavouring substances can be derived from tree nuts or peanuts; because FSSAI and EU labelling rules require only the class name on labels rather than the specific botanical source, individuals with nut allergies may be unable to identify the allergen without direct manufacturer confirmation.

Shellfish Allergy — Some natural flavouring preparations may be derived from crustaceans or molluscs; class-name-only labelling in several jurisdictions (India, EU) means shellfish-allergic individuals cannot always identify the source from the label alone.

Egg Allergy — Certain natural flavouring preparations (e.g., egg-derived compounds used in baked-good flavour profiles) may originate from eggs; individuals with egg allergies should seek explicit sourcing information from manufacturers.

Pregnancy — Certain botanically derived natural flavouring substances—such as those from sage, pennyroyal, wormwood, or high-safrole plants—contain pharmacologically active constituents that may pose uterotonic or fetotoxic risks at elevated intakes; consumption should be restricted to normal culinary levels and botanical-origin flavours should be confirmed safe during pregnancy.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1EFSA. Flavourings – Topic Overview, EFSA. efsa.europa.eu
2EFSA. EU Rules on Flavourings – European Commission Food Safety Portal. food.ec.europa.eu
3FDA. Natural Flavoring Substances and Natural Substances Used in Conjunction with Flavors – 21 CFR 172.510. accessdata.fda.gov
4other. Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) – FDA Inventory. fda.gov
5FSSAI. Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020, 2020. fssai.gov.in
6FSSAI. Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2009 – Definitions (Regulation 1.2.1), 2009. fssai.gov.in

Independently researched6 citations