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Vanilla Shortage Drives Changes In Flavor Industry

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Teresa Wall uses vanilla in about 75 percent of her recipes at her Philadelphia bakery, Tartes. But not everyone is willing to pay for real vanilla. (Irina Zhorov/The Pulse)
Teresa Wall uses vanilla in about 75 percent of her recipes at her Philadelphia bakery, Tartes. But not everyone is willing to pay for real vanilla. (Irina Zhorov/The Pulse)

There's a global shortage of vanilla beans, most of which come from Madagascar. That wouldn't have been a problem a few years ago when many food companies relied on synthetic vanilla flavor.

But as Irina Zhorov (@zhorovir) of WHYY's The Pulse reports, customer demand for natural vanilla is leading to a spike in prices — and a search for alternatives in the flavor industry.

This segment aired on September 1, 2017.

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