Flavors and Fragrances

In the article “Why the Fries Taste Good,” Eric Schlosser explains how the flavor industries are the responsible ones in making the flavors and fragrances for the food industry and other accessories. To show this, Schlosser shared his experience when he was given the opportunity to visit and explore the International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF), the world’s leading Flavor Company.

Schlosser explains how McDonald’s French fries was cooked in beef tallow allowing their costumers to smell the delicious aroma and a hint flavor of the beef. In 1990, they started to use vegetable oil because of the complaints over the extreme cholesterol that the costumer was consuming from the fries, leaving McDonalds no choice but to use “natural flavor.”

Processed food would not taste the way they are now if it was not because of the flavor industry. “But the canning, freezing and dehydrating techniques used to process food destroy most of its flavor” (Schlosser, 496). The flavor industries that could be found all over the country are responsible in making this processed food edible. This field of industry is very well kept and reserved. They are an introverted type of industry that is not willing to share the exact and accurate ingredients that makes up the flavors and fragrances.

The largest flavor industry in the world is the International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF). The IFF resides in New Jersey where Schlosser was given the opportunity to visit and explore the laboratories. Even though The IFF allowed Schlosser to tour its large factory in Dayton, New Jersey, he had to sign a form, agreeing that he will not “reveal the brand names of products that contain IFF flavors” (Schlosser, 496) in confidence.

After touring for a little bit more, Schlosser was shocked to find that IFF also makes colognes and household products smell the way they do. They all were made through the same procedure of “manipulation of volatile chemicals to create a particular smell” (Schlosser, 497).

Since “flavor is primarily the smell of gases being released by the chemicals you’ve just put in your mouth” (Schlosser, 497), over nine out of ten of the way something tastes is altered by a chemically manufactured aroma.

The amount of ingredients that these companies put to give out the flavors and fragrances for an item is immeasurable by any basic measuring methods, such as cups, pints, tablespoons, etc. The responsible ones for detecting such aromas and tastes of these essences and scents are the human nose and tongue;