What Are Natural Flavours? (And Why We Avoid Them)
If you've ever flipped over a protein bar, sports drink, or "healthy" snack and seen "natural flavours" on the ingredient list, you might have assumed it's a good thing.
Natural flavours sound better than artificial flavours, right?
Here's the problem: "natural flavours" is one of the most misleading terms in the food industry. It's vague, it's barely regulated, and it's used to hide ingredients most people wouldn't knowingly choose to eat.
If you train regularly and care about what you're putting in your body, you deserve better.
Let's have a look at what's actually going on.
What Actually Are Natural Flavours?
According to food regulators like the FDA and Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), natural flavours are flavouring substances derived from plant or animal sources.
Sounds reasonable.
But here's where it gets murky: those "natural" sources can be heavily processed using chemical solvents, extreme heat, and industrial extraction methods. The end result might have started in nature, but by the time it hits your bar or shake, it's very different.
Natural flavours can contain dozens (sometimes over 100) individual chemical components. And because they're considered "proprietary," manufacturers aren't required to tell you what's actually in them.
You could be eating something derived from:
- Beaver anal gland secretions (castoreum, used in vanilla and raspberry flavouring - rare, but legal)
- Insect-derived compounds
- Fermented yeast extracts
- Chemically isolated flavour molecules from plants you'd never recognise
All of it legally qualifies as "natural."
The term exists to make you feel good about buying the product. It doesn't exist to inform you.
Why "Natural" Doesn't Mean What You Think It Means
The term "natural flavours" on a food label is a marketing tool, not a standard.
There's no legal requirement that something labelled "natural flavour" be minimally processed, recognisable, or even something you'd consider food. It just has to come from a biological source at some point in its journey.
Compare that to something like "raw cacao" or "roasted almonds." You know exactly what those are. You can picture them. You could buy them whole if you wanted to.
"Natural flavours"? You can't.
Food companies use the term because it allows them to create consistent, shelf-stable, cost-effective flavour profiles without listing what's actually doing the work. It's a catch-all that hides complexity and gives the illusion of simplicity.
And for most people, that's enough. They see "natural," they assume it's fine, and they move on.
But if you're deliberate about your training and recovery, that vagueness should bother you.
The Problem for People Who Actually Train
Here's where this matters if you're active.
You're not just eating for taste. You're eating to support recovery, maintain energy, and keep your body functioning well (especially as you age or push yourself harder).
When you see "natural flavours" on a bar or supplement, you're being asked to trust something you can't verify. You don't know what's in it. You don't know how it was processed. You don't know if it's supporting your goals or just making the product taste better, so you'll buy it again.
There's a disconnect between the effort you put into training and the lack of transparency in the fuel you're using to recover. You wouldn't train without knowing what you're working on. So why would you eat something without knowing what's actually in it?
If you're serious about your body, you should be serious about what goes into it. That means demanding more than a vague label and a nice-sounding word.
Why We Don't Use Natural Flavours at Raised
We built Raised around one principle: if you can't recognise it, we don't use it.
That means no natural flavours. No proprietary blends. Nothing that doesn't make sense.
Instead, we use real food to create flavour:
- Raw cacao (not "chocolate flavour")
- Date paste (not "caramel flavour")
- Roasted almonds (not "almond flavour")
- Real acai and dried fruit (not "berry flavour")
- Pink lake salt (to enhance what's already there, not mask what isn't)
This approach costs more. It's harder to work with. And it means we can't hit the same hyper-sweet, hyper-consistent flavour profile that engineered ingredients deliver (and we don't want to).
But it also means you know exactly what you're eating. And we think that's what you deserve (especially if you're putting in the work).
What We Use Instead (And Why It Works)
Let's get specific.
Our bars don't rely on flavour additives because the ingredients themselves do the job. Here's how:
Raw cacao brings deep, rich chocolate flavour (plus magnesium, iron, and antioxidants that support recovery and mood).
Date paste gives you natural sweetness and steady-release carbohydrates. It's energy your body recognises and can use without the crash.
Roasted almonds and cashews add texture, healthy fats, and a nutty richness. They also bring protein, vitamin E, and minerals that support nervous system function.
Acai and real dried fruit deliver tart, fruity flavour along with fibre and vitamins.
MCT Powder made from MCT oil combined with acacia tree fibre assists with mental sharpness and clarity under pressure, while delivering a hit of prebiotic fibre for gut health and digestion.
Pink lake salt from Australia's Victorian salt lakes enhances the flavour already present and helps with post-training electrolyte replenishment.
Australian-Grass Fed Beef Collagen supports joints, tendons, and connective tissue (the parts of your body that take the most stress during training). Collagen is especially relevant if you're doing grappling, lifting, or any high-impact work.
Pumpkin seed protein (Australian-grown and produced) and brown rice protein round out the amino acid profile and bring magnesium and zinc (key minerals for muscle recovery and nervous system repair).
Every ingredient has a reason to be there, and you can see the full breakdown of what's in each bar on each of our product pages.
How to Spot Natural Flavours on Any Label
You don't have to take our word for it. Here's how to evaluate any product you're considering:
Look for "natural flavours," "natural flavouring," or "natural essence" anywhere on the ingredient list. If it's there, you're dealing with a proprietary blend you can't verify. It doesn't always mean it's necessarily a nasty addition - but if the brand can't (or won't) explain exactly what it is, that's a red flag.
Check the length and clarity of the ingredient list. Shorter is usually better. If you can recognise and pronounce everything, that's a good sign.
Ask the brand directly. Again, if they can't or won't tell you what's in their "natural flavours," that tells you something.
Compare similar products. If one bar lists "cacao" and another lists "natural chocolate flavour," the first one is being more transparent.
This isn't about being paranoid. It's about being informed.
What This Actually Means for You
Natural flavours aren't illegal. They're not necessarily harmful in the acute sense. But they're not transparent either.
And if you're someone who trains regularly, recovers deliberately, and expects more from the products you use, that lack of transparency should matter.
We use real ingredients because we think that's the right way to do it - and if you're reading this, we hope you do too.
