For those aspiring to eat mainly "clean ingredients," a little chemistry knowledge is often useful for deciphering packaged food labels.
Late last year the maker of Orville Redenbacher's popcorn was sued for putting mixed tocopherols in its "Naturals" line of microwave popcorn, which claims on the front of the package to have "Only Real Ingredients."
The preservatives, a form of vitamin E typically derived from vegetable oil, are used in a wide variety of food and cosmetic products and are allowed in foods that are certified organic. But a chemical process may be required to extract it. So is it natural?
