Hi there,
I certainly share your concern regarding MSG - from a personal standpoint though - I have epilepsy and MSG is one of the triggers so I avoid it at all costs. One thing to point out though, is that the term "Natural Flavor" is not necessarily MSG - here is the definition of Natural Flavour from the federal regulations (as taken from the vegsource.com website):
The exact definition of natural flavorings & flavors from Title 21, Section 101, part 22 of the Code of Federal Regulations is as follows:
"The term natural flavor or natural flavoring means the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional."
So - this means that yes, MSG can be considered a natural flavor - but it encompasses a ton of other items - I would agree that natural ingredients should probably be avoided in general because of the ambiguous term.
So - back to your question on foods that do not contain the phrase natural ingredients:
As mentioned above - Orijen
Addiction Pet Foods
CaniSource
Halo
Merrick
This is just a short list - but these are generally considered higher quality foods - I'm sure there's a lot more out there though. I feed Katie CaniSource and love it. I don't think the quality can be beat, but the other foods are definitely better choices than say, Iams or Eukaneuba and certainly better than Pedigree. Once again -
Best of luck on your search for the optimal food for your furry loved one!