WHAT DOES "NATURAL" REALLY MEAN?
A blunt reality check.
1. The Label vs. The Truth
There's no global, one-size-fits-all definition of "natural." The FDA only says the term is kosher if nothing artificial or synthetic has been added to a food that you wouldn't expect to be there. No mention of how hard that food was hammered, squeezed, or heat-blasted on the way to your mouth. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
India's FSSAI goes stricter: the word "natural" is reserved for single-ingredient foods (think raw honey or whole almonds). Complex products (like energy gels) may at best say "made from natural ingredients," provided every component meets the rule.
Across the pond, EU law lets you call a flavour "natural" only when its aroma chemicals come straight from plants or animals (no petro-lab shortcuts). (EUR-Lex)
Translation: The term "natural" is often used as a broad marketing label rather than a strict scientific indicator of purity.
2. Nature Is a Spectrum, Not a Switch
Food scientists use processing scales (the NOVA system is the crowd favourite) that rank foods from Group 1 (raw apple) to Group 4 (ultra-processed candy)."Natural" fades gradually as you climb the ladder. No shame—just physics and shelf life.
| Ingredient (ours) | NOVA group | Group definition (plain-speak) | Why it lands there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lemon juice | 1 – Raw / minimally processed | Plant parts that are only washed, peeled, squeezed, dried or cooled. | We just squeeze lemons and strain the pulp—no refining, no additives. (ECU Physicians) |
| Blue-agave syrup | 2 – Processed culinary ingredient | Single-ingredient extracts (oils, sugars, salt) made by pressing, filtering, evaporating or milling—used like seasonings. | Sap is filtered and gently heated to concentrate sugars—one-step extraction, still a lone ingredient. (ECU Physicians) |
| Wild-forest honey | 2 – Processed culinary ingredient | Same as above. | Honeycomb is spun/pressed and lightly filtered; it's nature's sweetener in a jar. (Open Food Facts) |
| Brown-rice syrup | 2 – Processed culinary ingredient | Same as above. | Cooked rice is enzymatically broken down; water is evaporated to leave a single-ingredient syrup. (Eat Right Pro) |
| Sea salt | 2 – Processed culinary ingredient | Same as above. | Seawater is evaporated; crystals are collected and sieved—pure mineral, nothing added. (ECU Physicians) |
| Menthol crystals (from mint) | 2 – Processed culinary ingredient | Same as above. | Peppermint oil is steam-distilled and chilled so menthol crystallises out—isolated from the plant, not lab-made. (foodunpacked.com) |
| Sodium alginate (E-401) | 4 – Ultra-processed marker | Industrial formulations that include non-culinary additives (emulsifiers, stabilisers, colourants, sweeteners, etc.). | Seaweed-derived, but used strictly as a gelling/stabilising additive; NOVA flags any such "cosmetic" agent as an ultra-processing signal. (FOODADDITIVES, PubMed Central) |
| Calcium carbonate (E-170) | 4 – Ultra-processed marker | Same as above. | Finely milled limestone/shell powder works as an acidity regulator & anticaking agent—another functional additive outside normal home kitchens. (InfoCons, PubMed Central) |
| Ingredients in most market-standard gels (Maltodextrin, Glucose/Dextrose, 'nature-identical' flavours, preservatives) | 4 – Ultra-processed | Industrial mixes with multiple additives, flavours, colours, preservatives, synthetic sweeteners. | Typical labels list maltodextrin, artificial flavours, INS-coded stabilisers & preservatives—classic ultra-processed profile. (The Guardian) |
Tl;dr: A CC Nectar gel sachet has <2.5% Nova Group 4 ingredients (required for gelling), while most gels on the market today have 99% of the gel falling in Nova group 4. Hence, we will never claim that our gel is "all-natural", because that's simply not the truth and the goal here is to serve you plain truth.
3. Why Any Processing at All?
Portability – sachets weigh 30-40 g, not 120 g like a banana.
Digestibility – our 0.8 : 1 fructose-to-glucose mix exits the stomach fast, sparing the porta-potty sprint.
Shelf life – honey is nature's preservative; the gel matrix keeps the carbs from crystallising on a summer long run.
4. Bottom Line
"Natural" isn't a halo; it's a sliding scale of trade-offs. We sit on the honest end of processed with purpose- closer to the hive than the chem-lab. No smoke, no mirrors, just fuel that works when your legs are screaming.
Now quit doom-scrolling labels and go run. We'll handle the fuel.