<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Here was my question to you all:
I received some advice recently that I want to check.  The advice was that a person with Celiac does not need to worry about hidden gluten in "Natural Flavors".  The explanation was that the chances that gluten would be in Natural Flavors would be very slim and that if it was, the manufacturer would likely declare it.
 
Has anyone else heard this?  Do any of you with Celiac live by this advice successfully?  Thoughts on this?

Executive Summary:
Thank you ALL for your opinions, website links and thoughts!  From the raw answers below, I calculated (from the answers I could determine) whether people ignore Natural Flavors or are somehow cautious with Natural Flavors possibly containing gluten and follow up with the company prior to eating (or avoid the product):

Cautious with Natural Flavors:  About 60%
Not Worried with Natural Flavors:  About 40% 


Exact Replies I Received:
I was recently glutened with what I strongly suspect were the natural flavors in Hunt's ketchup.  So now I will stay away from anything containing natural flavors.  It's not worth the risk in my opinion. 

I pretty much never worry about natural flavors any more. Wheat would HAVE to be declared. Rye and oats wouldn't be hidden there. And barley is nearly always listed as something like malt.

The information is correct, and natural flavors can have other things in them for issues.  I don't worry about natural flavors.  However, that doesn't mean that if it is a brand I am not sure of that I may call the company.  There are some major brands ie Kraft that list all gluten ingredients. 

Oh, yes, they hide gluten in natural flavors! I'm not sure what the label laws say now, but in the past I've been dinged on this. Seems like my instances were in meat with broth added. That doesn't mean all broth or natural flavors have gluten, but I always call the manufacturer to be sure. 

Everything I read says natural flavors is safe, with the exception of something that clearly has barley in it.  Although barley isn't on the label as an allergen, it will usually say it anyway.  I've never had a problem with natural flavors.  The alcohol is distilled, which means...no gluten.  If you're in doubt, contact Ann Whelan at Gluten-Free Living Magazine.

I pretty much live by this unless something else about the ingredients sends up a red flag. If I see guar gum , for instance I pretty much know it's ok.

I don't think you can make a blanket statement like that.  I would use your judgement by looking at the type of product and the cost of the product.  Inexpensive products probably are not using natural flavors (malt) as malt is expensive....
Curious to hear what others say.

Yes I have. Seasonings are the ones u have to look out for.

Here is a interesting answer see this link below.
http://www.vegsource.com/articles/natural.flavors.htm


I've always heard and believed that you should be leery of "natural flavors".  I'm not terribly sensitive, but I avoid them if I have a choice.

Sorry, but wheat is considered a natural flavor.

Yeah, natural flavorings is just too open a term for me.


This post by Tricia Thompson may help. http://www.glutenfreedietitian.com/newsletter/flavorings-extracts-are-they-gluten-free/  

Personally, I don't eat "natural flavorings" unless a product is also labeled "gluten free". I eat very little processed food as I found I feel best on a paleo diet. 

what we do need is GF labeling standards in the US. These were promised for 2008 but nothing has passed yet. Please sign the petition to get this done.

your advisor was correct.

I'd be aware of malt - that's a natural barley based flavoring, and as far as I know is not required to be listed as an allergen.

Most products that list "2% or less of" go on to list those ingredients anyway.

 It sounds good to me but that does not mean it is true.  If wheat is in the natural flavors they should have to say it but that does not mean that they have to say if other gluten containing things are in the NFs. 
I am not very sensitive to tiny amounts of gluten and if it says natural flavors I usually go ahead and eat it.  The fact that I can eat it means nothing however if you are very sensitive.
In thirty years of being GF I have passed all of my biopsies with flying colors.  Except the first one of course. I continue to eat things with natural flavors altho I wonder about them. I should pig out on products with natural flavors before my next biopsy as a test.

What I have heard is that Natural Flavors made in the US are GF but who know about imports.  I am still very careful about them!

I am very sensitive and react about 3 hours after ingesting gluten. I have been living by the " don't be concerned about natural flavors rule" for about a year with no problem. I learned about it from reading the magazine Gluten Free Living which I find to be the best source of celiac info and turn to often. I have no connection with them other than being so appreciative that they exist.

This has been the advice of the Canadian Celiac Association in their Pocket Dictionary for the last few years. The two natural flavours that would contain gluten are malt and wheat germ oil. Both must be listed on the label in Canada and are highly likely to be listed in the label in the U.S.

Depends on what it is...The USDA regulates meat/poultry labeling & has specific definition on what the natural flavoring can be & they do not include proteins, like gluten. Most common one is extract of rosemary which is a natural antioxidant/preservative. FDA handles food labeling. Lots of the flavoring are alcohol based & pretty much everyone agrees that's not a problem...These are usually fruit flavors, which would be unlikely to have gluten/wheat.  The tricky flavor is malt or malt flavoring since it's NOT GF and could technically be labeled as either flavoring or natural flavoring.  Fortunately, it has a distinct flavor that fills the low flavor notes so it's likely to be used in caramel & chocolate products.  While I don't worry about the lighter/fresher flavors like flavor, I am careful with products with the 'darker' flavors.  Fortuantely, some companies have a comprehensive labeling policy that requires labeling ALL gluten grains. On those labels, it might be listed as malt or "flavoring (from barley)."  Kraft, ConAgra & Unilevel are 3 of the companies that follow this policy, which would applies to over 100 different brands in their combined product lines..The brand's 'parent'/corporate affliliation will be noted on the back of the package. 

What I learned when my son was diagnosed this past summer, is that if there was no clear labeling that it is in fact gluten free don't gamble with vague terms like "spices", "flavorings", "natural flavorings", etc.  I steer clear of anything I cannot verify is in fact gluten-free.  Good luck!

I would not believe that statement...My reason is I had called a company on their BBQ Sauce.  There was nothing in the ingredients that suggested gluten, but I always call the company.  They said it contained gluten.  They could not tell me why, just that they don't give out ingredients.  I think that malt from barley might be considered a natural flavoring.  Malt barley at this time is not one of the ingredients that must be listed.  Just my opinion.

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