As consumer demand for “all-natural” products continues to remain strong, it is worth considering the differences between natural stocks and broths, and the alternatives. Stocks and broths are produced through an extraction process by which flavor and texture are rendered from animal and vegetable products. This blending of materials creates a liquid that can then be used as a flavoring and fortifying element in any finished product. The terms “stock” and “broth” are often used interchangeably, but generally, a broth has a higher meat-to-bone ratio during the cooking process. Broths are also usually cooked for shorter periods of time. Stocks, on the other hand, can be derived more heavily from bones and vegetables, rather than meat.

A commonly quoted definition of “natural” that first appeared in the FDA Consumer magazine is: “ingredients extracted directly from plants or animal products, as opposed to being produced synthetically.” (See http://tinyurl.com/2etfctr for the article.) The USDA’s legal definition for “natural” applying to meat and poultry is: “those products carrying the ‘natural’ claim must not contain any artificial flavoring, color ingredients, chemical preservatives, or artificial or synthetic ingredients, and are only ‘minimally processed,’ defined by USDA as a process that does not fundamentally alter the raw product.” (See http://tinyurl.com/28rw25k.)