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What are natural flavors?

Artificial flavors, natural flavors – you’ve seen them on labels, but what are the differences between the two? Natural flavors, as the name indicates, are derived from real, natural sources. All natural flavors that Lifeway uses are made from fruit juices, fruit essences, and essential oils. The fruit flavoring is derived from the fruit itself. For example, “natural blueberry flavor” is made from blueberries. The sources of natural flavors exist in nature and are something that can be eaten.

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At Lifeway, we do not use any artificial flavors in our products.

Natural flavors are similar to ingredients found in a home kitchen. The “natural flavors” without a listed fruit name consist of an extra fruit juice, oil, or essence that helps highlight or complement the flavor – citrus is a good example of a natural ingredient that can enhance the flavor of the main fruit listed.

Concerned about allergens? Email us, anytime for specific allergen questions.

Our kefir is made from milk. All our drinkable kefir is free from the other major allergens: including egg, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish and crustacean shellfish. However, please note that our frozen kefir is packaged in a facility with peanuts and tree nuts.

No tricks here:

MSG, aspartame, and other excitotoxins are not allowed in our flavoring. All flavors are in compliance with organic and natural retailers’ standards, such as Whole Foods, and FDA standards. Including the highest standards of all: Lifeway’s.

For example, our vanilla flavor is derived from Vanilla Bean – not Castoreum or beaver glands.

Still want to dodge natural flavors?

Just stick with the original! Our plain kefir has no flavors, fruit or otherwise. It is simply milk (plus required vitamin fortification) inoculated with kefir cultures. Plain kefir is also great for simple recipes like smoothies.

Any questions? Just give us a shout at [email protected].