Consumers are increasingly looking to the food industry to formulate products with less ingredients, and for these ingredients to be natural with no additives or artificial flavors or colors added. Demand for consumer-friendly food labeling has grown as consumers increasingly opt for natural and sustainable alternatives.

Yeast extract is a consumer-friendly ingredient. It is natural and used with a primary function of adding flavor to foods. It is labelled as “yeast extract”, or “autolyzed yeast extract” in an ingredients list.

Yeast extract is “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS). Substances in this category are by definition, under Sec. 201(s) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), free from chemical additives. Yeast extract is also free from animal-oriented ingredients, which is why it is an excellent ingredient to support a vegan or vegetarian diet.

Yeast extract should not be confused with monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is a concentrated and synthetic form of glutamic acid.