I recently made the mistake of researching the actual definition of "natural flavor," commonly found on the ingredient lists of tons of foods ranging from cereal to yogurt to chicken patties.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, "natural flavor" is defined as "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."
Yeah, I stopped reading halfway through, too.
Basically, "natural flavorings" are created by scientists in laboratories. There, they extract chemicals from a plant or animal source to blend with various (not necessarily natural) additives, and then add the mixture into food products to enhance their flavor. These man-made "natural" flavors can contain between 50-100 ingredients - from beef by-products to synthetic compounds to who knows what?
Food companies are not required to disclose the ingredients used in a "natural flavor." So it turns out, natural flavors are not so natural. When did food become so complicated?