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FAVORITE DAY · 0/100 · Not approved
11 not-approved ingredients detected; 9 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. |
| Mono- and Diglycerides | Caution | Often contain trans fats below the 0.5g labeling threshold. |
| Corn Syrup | Caution | Refined glucose syrup from corn starch. |
| Canola Oil | Not approved | Bred from rapeseed; refined with hexane and high heat. Sometimes labeled "rapeseed oil". |
| Modified Food Starch | Not approved | Industrially modified starch (chemical, enzymatic, or physical processing — label rarely specifies which). Common GMO source (corn/wheat/tapioca), and several modification agents (propylene oxide, sodium hydroxide) are flagged in EU regulatory reviews. Editorial position: not what we'd stock. |
| Artificial Flavor | Not approved | Undisclosed synthetic flavoring compounds; no transparency about composition. |
| Yellow 5 (Tartrazine) | Not approved | Synthetic azo dye associated with hyperactivity in sensitive children; mandatory warning label in the EU. |
| Red 40 (Allura Red AC) | Not approved | Synthetic azo dye linked in studies to hyperactivity in 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. |
| Red 3 (Erythrosine) | Not approved | Banned from US food (Jan 2025) and cosmetics (1990) after rat studies linked it to thyroid tumors. |
| Blue 2 (Indigo Carmine) | Not approved | Synthetic indigoid dye; animal studies show tumor formation at high doses. |
| Soy Lecithin | Caution | Hexane-extracted from soybeans unless labeled non-GMO/organic. |
| Artificial Flavors | Not approved | Undisclosed synthetic flavoring compounds. |
| Yellow 5 Lake (Tartrazine Aluminum Lake) | Not approved | Aluminum-salt form of Yellow 5 commonly found on candy shells, gum coatings, and capsule exteriors. Same EU mandatory warning label as the parent dye, plus added aluminum. |
| Maltodextrin | Caution | Highly processed starch derivative with a glycemic index higher than table sugar. |
| Polysorbate 60 | Caution | Synthetic surfactant. |
100 − 50×11 − 10×6 − 5×0 = 0
| Reason | Points | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Canola Oil | -50 | Bred from rapeseed; refined with hexane and high heat. Sometimes labeled "rapeseed oil". |
| Modified Food Starch | -50 | Industrially modified starch (chemical, enzymatic, or physical processing — label rarely specifies which). Common GMO source (corn/wheat/tapioca), and several modification agents (propylene oxide, sodium hydroxide) are flagged in EU regulatory reviews. Editorial position: not what we'd stock. |
| Artificial Flavor | -50 | Undisclosed synthetic flavoring compounds; no transparency about composition. |
| Yellow 5 (Tartrazine) | -50 | Synthetic azo dye associated with hyperactivity in sensitive children; mandatory warning label in the EU. |
| Red 40 (Allura Red AC) | -50 | Synthetic azo dye linked in studies to hyperactivity in 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. |
| Red 3 (Erythrosine) | -50 | Banned from US food (Jan 2025) and cosmetics (1990) after rat studies linked it to thyroid tumors. |
| Blue 2 (Indigo Carmine) | -50 | Synthetic indigoid dye; animal studies show tumor formation at high doses. |
| Artificial Flavors | -50 | Undisclosed synthetic flavoring compounds. |
| Yellow 5 Lake (Tartrazine Aluminum Lake) | -50 | Aluminum-salt form of Yellow 5 commonly found on candy shells, gum coatings, and capsule exteriors. Same EU mandatory warning label as the parent dye, plus added aluminum. |
| Sugar (Refined) | -10 | Refined sucrose, typically from sugarcane or sugar beet; minimally processed but a refined sweetener. |
| Mono- and Diglycerides | -10 | Often contain trans fats below the 0.5g labeling threshold. |
| Corn Syrup | -10 | Refined glucose syrup from corn starch. |
| Soy Lecithin | -10 | Hexane-extracted from soybeans unless labeled non-GMO/organic. |
| Maltodextrin | -10 | Highly processed starch derivative with a glycemic index higher than table sugar. |
| Polysorbate 60 | -10 | Synthetic surfactant. |
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