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Ingredients › Natural and nature-identical flavours

Baby food · 0–36 months

Are “natural flavours” safe for babies?

“Natural flavours” in baby food

“Added flavours”, “natural flavouring” and “nature-identical flavouring substances” on a label tell you that a flavour was added — not what is in it. A single word can stand for a blend of many substances. Pikabee shows a YELLOW flag: better avoided, because no one can see what is inside.

What Pikabee flags, by age

0–6 monthsAny food: RED

Any food other than breast milk or infant formula is flagged at this age, because WHO advises only breast milk for the first 6 months. An undeclared flavour would be YELLOW on top of that.

6–12 monthsYELLOW FLAG

YELLOW — better avoided. The label does not say what the flavouring contains, so no one can say whether it suits a baby.

12–36 monthsYELLOW FLAG

Still YELLOW. The reason is the same at every age: the contents are not disclosed.

What it is

Food labelling rules let a maker list a flavouring by its class name — “flavour” or “flavouring” — rather than name every substance in it. One flavouring can be a mix of dozens of compounds, carriers and solvents.

That is not the same as a named spice. “Cumin” or “turmeric” on a label tells you exactly what it is, and Pikabee does not flag named spices. The bare word “spices” hides what is inside and is YELLOW.

Names it goes by on labels

Why Pikabee shows yellow

The Codex general standard for food labels lets flavourings be declared by their class name instead of their contents. A YELLOW flag in Pikabee means exactly that: the ingredient cannot be identified from the label, so the product is better avoided. A RED flag is kept for ingredients that can be named and are known to be a concern.

How often parents find it

4 of 12

different baby food labels parents have scanned with Pikabee had an undeclared flavouring, as of 4 November 2026.

Questions parents ask

Are “natural flavours” safe for a baby under 6 months?

Any food other than breast milk or infant formula is flagged at this age, because WHO advises only breast milk for the first 6 months. An undeclared flavour would be YELLOW on top of that.

Are “natural flavours” safe for a 6 to 12 month old baby?

YELLOW — better avoided. The label does not say what the flavouring contains, so no one can say whether it suits a baby.

Are “natural flavours” safe for a 1 to 3 year old?

Still YELLOW. The reason is the same at every age: the contents are not disclosed. The Codex general standard for food labels lets flavourings be declared by their class name instead of their contents.

What are nature-identical flavouring substances?

Flavour compounds made in a lab that are chemically the same as ones found in nature. The label does not say which ones were used, which is why Pikabee shows YELLOW.

Are natural flavours bad for babies?

Pikabee cannot say either way, because the label does not say what is in them. That is what YELLOW means: better avoided, because the contents are hidden.

Does Pikabee flag spices like cumin or turmeric?

No. A named spice is not flagged at any age. Only the bare word “spices”, which hides what is in it, is YELLOW.

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Sources

  1. Codex Alimentarius CXS 1-1985. General standard for the labelling of prepackaged foods.

Last reviewed 6 November 2026.

Related ingredients

Talk to your pediatrician about anything concerning.