A large share of the guides on this site finish with some version of the same sentence: ask about the carrier. This page explains what that means and why it recurs.
What a carrier is
Some ingredients are used in tiny quantities and are extremely concentrated. A flavour compound might be needed at a fraction of a percent, which cannot be measured or mixed evenly on its own. So it is dissolved or dispersed in something else first.
That something is the carrier. It has no flavour function of its own; it exists to make the active part usable.
Why the label does not name it
Labelling rules generally allow a flavouring to be declared as flavouring or natural flavouring without listing what is inside it. The carrier is a component of the flavouring rather than a separate ingredient of the food, so it does not get its own line.
This is not concealment. It is a labelling convention that works well for its purpose and leaves a gap for anyone asking a source question. The natural flavours guide covers the flavour side; this page covers the carrier side.
A manufacturer asked about the flavour may answer about the flavour compound and never mention what it is dissolved in.
The common carriers
- Ethanol: a standard flavour solvent, which is why the alcohol question reaches products with no alcohol in the ingredient list.
- Propylene glycol: synthetic, and generally more straightforward.
- Glycerol: may be recovered from plant or animal fat.
- Vegetable oils: plant derived.
- Starches and maltodextrin: plant derived, used in dried and encapsulated flavours.
- Gum arabic: plant derived, used to encapsulate spray-dried flavours.
It is not only flavours
Colours and vitamins arrive on carriers too. Oil-soluble colours such as carotenes are supplied in a carrier system, and gelatin is used in some of those, which is why a colour extracted from a plant can still need a question. Fat-soluble vitamins are supplied in oil or encapsulated, and vitamin premixes are bought-in blends whose internal composition is not itemised, as the infant formula guide describes.
What to ask the manufacturer
For each flavouring, colour, and vitamin used in this product, please confirm the carrier and any solvent used. Specifically, is ethanol or glycerol used as a carrier, and if glycerol, is it plant or animal derived?
The manufacturer question generator will format that, and the processing aids guide covers the related category of inputs a label does not describe.
Frequently asked questions
What is a flavour carrier?
The substance a concentrated flavour compound is dissolved or dispersed in so it can be measured and mixed into a product. Common carriers include propylene glycol, ethanol, vegetable oils, glycerol, and starches.
Why is the carrier not on the label?
Labelling rules generally allow a flavouring to be declared as flavouring or natural flavouring without itemising its components. The carrier is part of the flavouring rather than a separate ingredient of the food.
Which carriers raise halal questions?
Ethanol, because of the alcohol question, and glycerol, because it may be recovered from plant or animal fat. Propylene glycol and vegetable oils are usually more straightforward.
Do colours have carriers too?
Yes. Oil-soluble colours such as carotenes are supplied on a carrier, and gelatin is used in some carrier systems, which is why a plant-derived colour can still need a question.
Do vitamins have carriers?
Fat-soluble vitamins are supplied in oil or in an encapsulated form, and vitamin premixes are blends whose internal carriers are not itemised on a label.
How do I resolve a carrier question?
Product-level certification covers it, because a certifier reviews the flavouring and its components. Otherwise ask the manufacturer specifically about the carrier and solvent rather than about the flavour.