Video Vault: Inside A Lab That Creates Chemical Flavorings

I’ve spoken on this before, and no one ever hears me: companies that seek to create big name products will invest millions upon millions of dollars to create the irresistible flavor that will please enough people that the brand will last for ages. It’s cheaper than, say, real spices or real herbs or even real food and, quite frankly, people are buying it all up.

That is, until they start packing on the pounds. Then, they turn to Nutrisystem. (Are you cringing yet? I am.)

When I heard that 60 Minutes covered Givaudan, I couldn’t help but wonder what you guys would think. Check out the video below, and share your thoughts.

Here’s what Huffington Post had to say:

Natural and artificial flavoring are known components of many foods, but the process on how they come to be is something of a closely guarded secret. The 60 Minutes team was given access to Givaudan, one of the biggest flavoring companies, and aired a fascinating — and startling — segment on the company last night.

Givaudan may be the biggest multinational company you’ve never heard of, explains correspondent Morley Safer. It employees 9,000 people in 45 countries. Givaudan employees admit that they aim to mimic Mother Nature with chemicals. They create flavors that don’t linger too long — that way, you’ll want to go back for more. “There’s a lot of secrecy,” confesses one employee. The company won’t reveal which brands contain Givaudan flavors.

Another employee explains that although both artificial and natural flavors are both chemical combinations, artificial flavors are largely man-made. Natural flavors come from nature, but that doesn’t mean they come from what the label says. In other words, a strawberry flavor doesn’t have to come from a strawberry (ditto on french fries).

Thoughts?