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PAYASO · 0/100 · Not approved
7 not-approved ingredients detected; 8 banned in at least one country
| Ingredient | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar (Refined) | Caution | Refined sucrose, typically from sugarcane or sugar beet; minimally processed but a refined sweetener. |
| Invert Sugar | Caution | Sugar split into glucose and fructose; equivalent metabolic load to HFCS. |
| Soy Lecithin | Caution | Hexane-extracted from soybeans unless labeled non-GMO/organic. |
| Artificial Flavor | Not approved | Undisclosed synthetic flavoring compounds; no transparency about composition. |
| Vegetable Oil (unspecified) | Not approved | Generic label almost always refers to a blend of soybean, corn, or canola oil. |
| Caramel Color (generic) | Caution | Without a Class number, manufacturer-disclosed type is unknown; Class III/IV variants (most common in colas) contain 4-MeI, a California Prop 65 carcinogen. |
| Yellow 5 (Tartrazine) | Not approved | Synthetic azo dye associated with hyperactivity in sensitive children; mandatory warning label in the EU. |
| Yellow 6 (Sunset Yellow FCF) | Not approved | Synthetic azo dye; mandatory warning label in the EU and was banned outright in Norway and Finland for decades. |
| Blue 1 (Brilliant Blue FCF) | Not approved | Synthetic triarylmethane dye; was banned in France, Norway and Finland until 2008 EU harmonization. |
| Artificial Flavors | Not approved | Undisclosed synthetic flavoring compounds. |
| Red 3 (Erythrosine) | Not approved | Banned from US food (Jan 2025) and cosmetics (1990) after rat studies linked it to thyroid tumors. |
| Maltodextrin | Caution | Highly processed starch derivative with a glycemic index higher than table sugar. |
100 − 50×7 − 10×5 − 5×0 = 0
| Reason | Points | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial Flavor | -50 | Undisclosed synthetic flavoring compounds; no transparency about composition. |
| Vegetable Oil (unspecified) | -50 | Generic label almost always refers to a blend of soybean, corn, or canola oil. |
| Yellow 5 (Tartrazine) | -50 | Synthetic azo dye associated with hyperactivity in sensitive children; mandatory warning label in the EU. |
| Yellow 6 (Sunset Yellow FCF) | -50 | Synthetic azo dye; mandatory warning label in the EU and was banned outright in Norway and Finland for decades. |
| Blue 1 (Brilliant Blue FCF) | -50 | Synthetic triarylmethane dye; was banned in France, Norway and Finland until 2008 EU harmonization. |
| Artificial Flavors | -50 | Undisclosed synthetic flavoring compounds. |
| Red 3 (Erythrosine) | -50 | Banned from US food (Jan 2025) and cosmetics (1990) after rat studies linked it to thyroid tumors. |
| Sugar (Refined) | -10 | Refined sucrose, typically from sugarcane or sugar beet; minimally processed but a refined sweetener. |
| Invert Sugar | -10 | Sugar split into glucose and fructose; equivalent metabolic load to HFCS. |
| Soy Lecithin | -10 | Hexane-extracted from soybeans unless labeled non-GMO/organic. |
| Caramel Color (generic) | -10 | Without a Class number, manufacturer-disclosed type is unknown; Class III/IV variants (most common in colas) contain 4-MeI, a California Prop 65 carcinogen. |
| Maltodextrin | -10 | Highly processed starch derivative with a glycemic index higher than table sugar. |
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