Maybe it’s a teaser I used just get your attention.
Unfortunately, not.
Oh, I DID want to catch your attention to let you know that I completed a few more pieces while on vacation. This is one of them. Keep watching this space!
But I really do want to tell you about WONF. I read ingredient labels on EVERYTHING that goes into my mouth or into my body. Imagine my surprise when I ran across this one on a cookie “Natural Vanilla Flavor Wonf”. I have NEVER seen this before. And what the heck is it?
WONF = With Other Natural Flavors.
So, basically, it’s just yet another version of “hidden” poison ingredients being put into our foods and allowed by the FDA.
In a nutshell, there are two primary types of vanilla flavors:
Natural, made with actual vanilla plants and beans (i.e., vanilla extract, vanilla flavor, vanilla paste). ( Source )
And synthetic, made by all sorts of chemical processes that create a synthetic vanilla flavor.
We’ve been making and using artificial vanilla flavoring for a very long time (at least 1874). It’s made from coal and other chemical derivatives, and over 95% of food is flavored with artificial forms of vanilla flavoring ( Source ).
But, as it turns out, the only thing that’s really changed, is how it’s hidden in the ingredients label.
For instance, take these select extracts from the article “Labeling Vanilla Flavorings and Vanilla-Flavored Foods in the U.S.” from FemaFlavor.org: Source
The article lays out the problem thus:
· “Vanilla flavorings are the only flavorings subject to a federal standard of identity.”
· “Vanilla has been one of the most popular flavors in the United States for many years with vanilla ice cream as the most recognizable and popular vanilla-flavored food.”
· “When consumers purchase ice cream labeled as “vanilla ice cream” they expect it to be flavored with vanilla flavoring derived from vanilla beans unless labeled otherwise.”
· “this expectation is codified in two U.S. federal standards of identity, one for vanilla flavorings and one for ice cream.”
· “Adulteration of vanilla flavorings and foods containing them has long been a problem in the U.S. and there continue to be modern examples.”
· “Recent increased emphasis on consumers’ desires for foods containing “natural” food ingredients has resulted in the exploration of vanilla flavoring alternatives that are not derived from vanilla beans.” I like how they put “natural” in italics.
· “The U.S. federal standard of identity for vanilla flavorings… does not provide for the designation of any vanilla flavorings as “vanilla with other natural flavors” or “vanilla WONF.”
Wait…What?? The standard does not provide for WONF??
Well, this WAS in 2018…
Their Proposed Solutions:
· “The regulatory environment related to flavors can therefore be confusing….
· “However, clarity is possible with a careful reading and proper interpretation of the regulations…”
· “The agency’s (FDA) limited resources have led it to focus on safety issues rather than the enforcement of its labeling regulations,”
OK, enough of the quotes. You can read the entire 16-page article if you want to see the detailed description of how the FDA has been diligently trying to appease the public while bending to industry. But it’s long, boring, and confusing.
Basically, it’s a list of how other companies and industries managed to get around various FDA rules used as examples of how the artificial vanilla industry could do the same. And they did.
At the end of the day, this is how I found “Natural Vanilla Flavor Wonf” on the ingredients label on cookies.
Now you know.
BTW, I’ll cover the #FoodAgeddon Neurotoxic Ingredients List Analysis for this cookie in my next post.
There’s a lot more to discuss!