Vanilla is the only spice regulated by the FDA. Extract-The FDA requires that every one-gallon of liquid must consist of 65% water, 35% alcohol and 13.35 ounces of vanilla beans.
There is no mention of the quality of the vanilla beans, only that they have a certain amount of moisture. We use only premium beans that are hand selected and aged for over a year in warming rooms.
Flavoring-includes vanillin as an additive, vanillin is produced naturally on the bean. However, the beans cannot produce enough vanillin to fill the needs of the world therefore artificial or synthetic vanillin is used. Vanillin is only one of over 400 flavor components found in vanilla.