In response to Kerri’s post.

I agree, customer service is an important part of the product. With the development and wide use of mobile and computer based technology it is easy for anyone to search, research and compare products. If you choose to go to an actual store to make your purchase one important aspect of your shopping experience is the customer service. Employees that are glad and capable of helping you with your purchase can differentiate that business from others. Even on line shopping has to ensure the customer is happy; availability of the product, ordering procedures, shipping and shipping cost, return policies and even the design of the web site can make or break a sale. With the buying process becoming more impersonal, customer service is more important than ever.    

Packaging serves many purposes, one of which is a place to put a label. For food product this label includes nutritional information. The Nutritional Labeling and Education Act of 1990 made this type of information mandatory. Many of the ingredients are pretty straight forward, water sugar, sodium etc. Then of course there are all those chemical names. But one ingredient has always been difficult for me to understand, natural flavoring.

The FDA defines it as follows: The term natural flavor or natural flavoring means the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional. Natural flavors include the natural essence or extractives obtained from plants listed in subpart A of part 582 of this chapter, and the substances listed in 172.510 of this chapter. http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfCFR/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=501.22
I think I’m more confused now. Does this make any sense to anyone? Should ingredients be clearer?