The truth is sad when we recognize how food is failing us today and we can only rely on ourselves to avoid eating it. Alfred E. Newman of Mad Magazine once said, "We live in a world where lemonade is made with artificial flavors and furniture polish is made with real lemons." Over the past few decades, our understanding of food flavorings has changed dramatically. Today, many food flavorings can be found in most products to enhance foods and drinks, however, people need to be smarter and more aware of the food they consume, due to the lack of regulation for food flavorings by the government . Before 1850, American food flavoring was previously used as flavored foods and beverages from local and foreign flavoring sources such as rum, fruit juices, and homemade spices. People discovered the aroma of nature when they discovered that food flavors could be enriched with simple methods. At the beginning of the 20th century, a German chemist accidentally discovered one of the first artificial flavors. They created methyl anthranilate as an artificial grape flavor by mixing chemicals. Now methyl anthranilate is the main ingredient in grape Kool-Aid. Food flavoring in America began during the Industrial Revolution. According to Schlosser's "Fast Food Nation," synthetic flavor additives were used primarily in baked goods, candy and sodas until the 1950s, when sales of processed foods skyrocketed. The invention of machines increased the number of flavors that could be created by chemical synthesis. In the 1960s, the American flavoring industry was creating flavors to provide flavor for thousands of new foods (Why French Fries Are Good). The flavor industry is one of the most secretive companies in the world. Their safety precautions and technology are like government security...half paper...all chemicals are GRAS (generally regarded as safe). While it is legal for a company to hide the source of its ingredients, it is nearly impossible to track the true impact of these chemical flavors. Therefore, we will never know what effect all these aromas have on our health. In fast Food Nation, Schlosser points to McDonald's French fries as an example of how the term "natural flavor" can be loosely applied. Food flavorings have been used for centuries to improve the appearance, flavor of food and extend its shelf life. People need to be more aware of the ingredients in foods. Ask the government to push the flavoring industry to be more transparent about what it produces. Overall, people need to educate themselves about what chemicals are on labels, so they can make informed choices. Education is the key to eating healthily and living longer.