Artificial flavoring

Artificial flavoring is as opaque a declaration as any other flavouring, and that is the whole of the answer here: the words tell you the compound was synthesised rather than extracted, and nothing at all about which substance is in the jar. SIGHI's entry covers it without an adjective — 'flavourings, flavorings', rated 1 of 3, with no mechanism letter and the remark 'This can be anything. Mostly not well tolerated.' The level reflects that opacity and not a known mechanism, and SIGHI's histamine column rates a perceived compatibility rather than a histamine content.

Artificial flavoring carries no fermentable carbohydrate: a synthesised flavour compound is neither a sugar nor a sugar alcohol, and it is used in milligrams. What keeps this at low rather than none is the solvent or carrier the flavour is dissolved in, which the label does not name, and the elimination protocols that remove additives as a block — a rule about the protocol rather than a fact about the molecule.

Artificial flavoring may be carried in a wheat-derived alcohol or a starch, and how the flavour compound itself was made says nothing about that — the carrier is a separate ingredient from the flavour. The allergen rules require the wheat to be declared where it is present, so the emphasis in the ingredient list is what to look for. Regulation 828/2014 sets what a "gluten-free" claim must meet, at or below 20 mg/kg; it measures nothing about this additive.

Artificial flavoring is a synthesised compound carried in a solvent, and the label names neither of them. A nickel content cannot be attached to a declaration that does not say which substance it stands for, so this level records that uncertainty rather than a measurement. What would change it is a label that names the flavour compound: then the answer belongs to that compound and not to the category.

Artificial flavoring carries no salicylate, and this is the axis where it parts from an unspecified flavouring. What raises the generic entry here is that the flavour may be a citrus oil, a spice extract or a herbal distillate — plant material, and plant material carries salicylate. The word "artificial" excludes exactly that: it means the compound was synthesised rather than taken from a spice, a fruit or a vegetable. A label that declares natural AND artificial flavouring is a different case and answers on the other entry.