Foods Alive Non-Fortified Premium Nutritional Yeast Flakes, 6 ounce Unfortified vegan cheese powder seasoning

In short, I designed an experiment comparing the taste of 4 different non-fortified nutritional yeast brands (standardized by weight, and emulsified in neutral oil & water to taste) and found that FoodsAlive was the most flavorful of the bunch! Although SariFoods was a close runner-up.1. Foods Alive (The Winner!)2. SariFoods (a close 2nd)3. Dr. Berg (pretty good, although a bit less flavorful than the other 2)4. NatureBell (terrible, tastes like paper)Background:I've used nutritional yeast in my recipes for years (there's a salad dressing you can make with it that’s surprisingly good). However, I have to make an extra effort to avoid nutritional yeast that’s fortified with synthetic B-vitamins. Using too much of the fortified kind reliably gives me unpleasant side effects like overstimulation, anxiety, sleeplessness, etc.So, SariFoods was my go-to brand for years. Their nutritional yeast tastes amazing and is emphatically non-fortified. Just straight nutritional yeast. Nothing else added. However, I was perusing Amazon one day and saw that Naturebell had a non-fortified nutritional yeast that was a lot cheaper per ounce. So I decided to give it a try.Huge mistake.I was shocked to find out that the taste between SariFoods' & Naturebell’s nutritional yeast was radically different. Like night and day. One of them (Naturebell’s) tasted like stale cardboard, while the other (SariFoods) had an insanely cheesy/nutty/umami flavor that was a potent flavor enhancer to every dish or sauce it was added to.Which led me to do this taste-test experiment comparing two more (4 total) non-fortified brands of nutritional yeast that you can find on Amazon.The Experiment:Each nutritional yeast was weighed out to approximately 3.5 grams*. Then I added 1/2th Tbsp of neutral oil & 1 Tbsp of warm water to each, and shook them vigorously to create an emulsion.(*I initially tried the experiment with equal volumes instead of equal weights until I realized that some of them are much denser than others. For example, on one extreme, FoodsAlive weighs ≈ 3.7 grams per 1/2th Tbsp, whereas Dr. Berg was only 2.2 grams per 1/2th Tbsp).Initial observations:Dr. Berg, FoodsAlive, and SariFoods had a more "natural"-looking, dark-beige color. Whereas NatureBell’s nutritional yeast was much brighter & yellow in color. Once emulsified, FoodsAlive revealed an even richer/darker color than the other two. Dr. Berg’s was the flakiest (which explains why it weighed the least by volume) followed by NatureBell being the 2nd most flakey. FoodsAlive & SariFoods were more powdery & dense although they still had a general flakey-ness to them.Taste:In my opinion, FoodsAlive is the clear winner here. It was the most intensely flavorful and captured the essence of what I think nutritional yeast should taste like (cheesy, yeasty, slightly nutty, and undeniably umami).SariFoods was a very close second. Both FoodsAlive and SariFoods tasted the “cheesiest” in my opinion.Dr. Berg came in third. Nothing wrong with it. It was still pretty flavorful and tasty, just not as potent as the other two.NatureBell is the clear loser here, unfortunately. It tasted terrible like stale cardboard. I think something went wrong with their yeast growing operation. Or possibly they cut it with some cheap adulterant to save on costs. I don't know. But regardless of the reason, the flavor was simultaneously awful and bland. It had none of the complex cheesy/nutty/umami flavor that is recognizable as nutritional yeast to me. Also, I think it’s interesting to note the odd, vivid yellow color compared to the other three. Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) has an intense orange-ish/yellow color. Often times, nutritional yeast that IS fortified with B-vitamins, is more bright & yellow because of the addition of synthetic riboflavin. I cannot say for certain whether or not NatureBell actually did fortify their nutritional yeast with synthetic riboflavin (it’s possible that the color is just naturally occurring), but I think it's something to note.Disclaimer: I do not work for, nor am I associated in any way with SariFoods, FoodsAlive, Dr. Berg, or NatureBell. This was an independent test that I performed in my spare time and the results are based on my own taste which is highly subjective. I highly recommend you repeat this test on your own to compare results. Also, this test is not comprehensive. There are several other brands of non-fortified nutritional yeast on Amazon that I did not test but would like to in the future (Anthony's, LOOV, and MicroIngredients to name a few other brands).

Nutritional yeast is a game-changer! It has a savory, cheesy, slightly nutty flavor that makes everything taste better. I love sprinkling it on popcorn for a delicious, dairy-free cheesy kick and on tofu to add extra depth and umami. It’s also packed with B vitamins and protein, making it a great nutritional boost. The texture is light and flaky, and it blends well into sauces, soups, and even pasta. If you’re looking for a flavorful, plant-based seasoning, this is a must-have in the kitchen!

This yeast is not fortified and has an excellent taste. I have tried other nutritional yeast products, and I do not like their taste or fortified ingredients. Also, this nutritional yeast does not turn my urine bright yellow, like its fortified competitor. I keep this stocked in my house. I definitely recommend!

This is my first time trying Nutritional Yeast so I have nothing to compare this brand to. When I tasted it out of the package, it reminded me of the powdered butter/cheese you get all over your fingers when you eat store bought, bagged white cheddar or butter popcorn. It has that same smell, too. So I tried making a butter sauce for some linguini and added about a teaspoon of the Nutritional Yeast and it was very decent. I didn't add a lot so the flavor was mild, but I could eat it without a problem and think I can make it more tasty as I experiment with it. I occasionally sprinkle a tiny bit on my finicky dog's food and she clearly enjoys it. As for me, I'm not sure whether using fortified or unfortified Nutritional Yeast is best, or how much you'd have to eat everyday to see a real benefit, but if I can cut down on the cheese I normally cook with and use the yeast sometimes instead, I'll at least reduce my calorie intake and maybe keep the serum cholesterol in check.

**Edit to say that I reached out to Foods Alive directly to report my issue with the chlorine smell (original review at the bottom), and they responded the same day. They have had other complaints about the same issues through Amazon orders only, but no issues with orders directly from their Foods Alive website. After looking at reviews from other brands of nutritional yeast through Amazon I noticed another brands review had a complaint about chlorine smell as well. So I believe this is an Amazon issue and not a Foods Alive issue. Amazon must be storing or shipping these foods with chlorine or trucks parked next to a pool. I don’t know. But Foods Alive has great customer service, they are sending me a replacement. If you ever have an issue my advise is to reach out directly to them before leaving a review. I will going forward. *end of edit* ok adding another edit few day later** I have had a few correspondence with Matt at Foods alive in the past week and just received my replacement nooch along with a few extra goodies. I immediately opened the package of nooch and took a big whiff and have to say, fresh from Foods Alive company nooch hits different. Smells so much more fresh delicious than any nooch I’ve ever smelled which says a lot because the smell has always just been okay to me. The flavor is creamier, buttery, nutty and cheesier than any nooch I’ve ever tasted, even goes for the previous foods alive nooch I’ve been getting on Amazon for about 3 years now. Again I highly recommend ordering directly from them, and if you ever have any issues with your orders either from Amazon or foods alive I strongly recommend reaching out to Foods Alive directly, just send a message on their website. Matt has gone far above and beyond to help me get my replacement before the holiday (in 2 days) and has made me feel like an important customer.Please if you do reach out remember to be kind.**Original review**Ordered this nooch just over 30 days ago, and finally opened the bag today to use in a recipe and my senses were assaulted with strong swimming pool chemical odors.As pictured, the bag has been sitting open on my dining table for about 30 minutes now and I just checked again and the smell hasn’t dissipated at all. I cannot smell nooch, It still smells like swimming pool/chlorine or something. Had my wife smell it and sure enough she agreed it reeks of chemicals.I’ve bought Foods Alive before and it’s always smelled nutty, so hopefully this is just a bad batch. But I’m not buying it again.