amber
Tbhq
Petroleum-derived antioxidant; immune-modulating in animal studies.
Low Tox Gear · Scanner
Special K Protein Meal Bars
Is Kellogg's Special K Protein Meal Bars low tox? Our scanner flagged 2 ingredients (2 in the caution tier) on its published label, screened against our 237 source-cited chemical rules.
2 caution
2 ingredients flagged
What we flagged
amber
BHT For Freshness
Endocrine concerns at high exposure levels.
Full ingredients (from label)
Soy protein isolatesugarsoluble corn fibervegetable oil (palm kernel and palm oil, soybean and palm oil with tbhq for freshness)strawberry flavored fruit pieces (sugar, cranberries, citric acid, natural strawberry flavor with other natural flavors, elderberry juice concentrate for color, sunflower oil)corn syrupfructoseinulinmilk protein isolatecontains 2% or less of dextrosewaternonfat yogurt powder (cultured whey protein concentrate, cultured skim milk, yogurt cultures; heat-treated after culturing)glycerincolor addedsorbitolsoy lecithinnatural and artificial flavorsaltcitric acidstrawberry juice concentratexanthan gumbht for freshnesspartially defatted peanut flouralmond flourwheat starch. vitamins and minerals: calcium carbonatevitamin c (ascorbic acid)vitamin e (alpha tocopherol acetate)niacinamidezinc oxidereduced ironvitamin b6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride)vitamin a palmitatevitamin b2 (riboflavin)vitamin b1 (thiamin hydrochloride)vitamin b12folic acidvitamin d3.
How this analysis is generated
Each ingredient on this product's published label is matched against our 237 source-cited chemical rules, each documenting a concern from peer-reviewed research and regulatory sources. Severity tiers:
- Avoid (red) — banned or restricted in the EU, UK or Canada but still legal in the US, IARC-listed, or strong contact-allergen evidence.
- Caution (amber) — regulatory caution, contamination risk, or condition-specific irritant.
- Mild (green) — low concern but commonly avoided in low-tox formulations.
Each flag links to its primary chemical-level source, and each condition pill links to a PubMed-indexed paper that discusses the chemical class in the context of that condition. Every citation is a real peer-reviewed paper — we don't link to Wikipedia or PubMed search pages. Some pairs use a topically-broad paper (e.g. a fragrance-allergen patch-test review) rather than a single-pair study where the literature is thin. The full evidence chain (chemical → mechanism → condition → paper) is one click away.
This is automated analysis of a published label, not medical advice — always verify the label yourself before changing products. Methodology and source list at scan.lowtoxgear.com.