Know what types of food-grade flavors and fragrances you need

If you are new to food grade chemicals, you have some research to do. There are literally thousands of food additives you can add to your food product, each of which adds different flavors and performs different functions.

I recommend: Consult the Smells Database from the University of California at Berkeley to understand the possible range of food grade fragrances available, and to find out what chemicals form them. You can find a list of essential oils, which are types of food grade extracts, at Organic Facts. You may also need to consult a company like Spectra Flavor & Fragrance Research, LLC to help you determine which food grade chemicals you need for your food product.

Understand what adding food grade chemicals does to your food

Be aware that certain food additives may have harmful side effects. However, despite this new research, food still contains these food grade chemicals. It is important that you understand the risks of adding any food-grade flavors and fragrances to your food.

I recommend: Research. Research. Research. When you research, make sure you are using credible sources, like Cable News Network (CNN) (to find information about monosodium glutamate (MSG) in foods) and Medical News Today (to find information about the butter flavoring diacetyl). Again, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has not outlawed these substances, but it is good to know that they may pose health risks. If you want to know more about what the USDA says about food-grade flavorings and fragrances, you can check their Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, contact them directly, or follow the international Codex Committe on Food Additives (CCFA).

Look for food flavoring manufacturers online

Once you have found a safe set of food flavorings, look for websites that sell them. Most food-grade flavors and fragrances are not going to be available in a large enough quantity for commercial food production at a grocery store, so buying wholesale may be your only option.

I recommend: There are a number of food flavor suppliers online. Bell Flavor & Fragrances has dedicated flavor and fragrance pages. These pages offer the standard food and beverage flavors and aromas, as well as food grade flavorings for tobacco, pet care, and oral care. International Flavor & Fragrances (IFF) is another company that offers food-grade flavors and fragrances. tradeindia.com offers a number of flavorings for food. There are also many specialty food grade chemicals, such as the Halal Products found on the SAFC website.

Investigate the differences between natural food flavorings and artificial food flavorings

A food flavor manufacturer may produce "natural flavors" or "artificial flavors." There is only one small problem with that: both are human-created food grade chemicals that may pose equal health risks. The key is to find a flavor chemical supplier or food fragrance company that creates organic products, most of which are healthier and contain fewer synthetic chemicals.

I recommend: Gold Coast Ingredients, Inc. is a natural food flavor supplier and food fragrance company that offers their products to the food industry at wholesale prices. Nature's Flavors also has a large supply of organic food grade extracts, food flavorings, and food grade fragrances.