red
Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil
Trans-fat source. Banned/restricted by FDA, EU and most jurisdictions due to cardiovascular risk.
Low Tox Gear · Scanner
pop tarts
Is Kellogg's pop tarts low tox? Our scanner flagged 11 ingredients (1 in the avoid tier, 10 caution) on its published label, screened against our 237 source-cited chemical rules.
1 avoid10 caution
11 ingredients flagged
What we flagged
amber
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Mercury contamination flagged in 2009 IATP study; metabolic concerns at high intake.
amber
With Tbhq For Freshness
Petroleum-derived antioxidant; immune-modulating in animal studies.
amber
Diglycerides
Industrial fatty-acid emulsifier shown to disrupt gut mucus barrier and microbiome in mouse models. Ubiquitous in baked goods and chocolate.
amber
Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate
Industrial dough conditioner / emulsifier. Same Chassaing-class concerns for gut-barrier disruption.
amber
Datem
Bread-conditioning emulsifier in the diglyceride family flagged by Chassaing 2015; sensitisation reported in case studies.
amber
Yellow 6 Lake
Hyperactivity link in childhood studies; warnings required in EU.
amber
Blue 2 Lake
Coal-tar derived.
Full ingredients (from label)
enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, vitamin b1 [thiamin mononitrate], vitamin b2 [riboflavin], folic acid)sugarcorn syruphigh fructose corn syrupsoybean and palm oil (with tbhq for freshness)dextrosecontains two percent or less of cocoa (processed with alkali)modified corn starchsaltcalcium carbonatecornstarchleavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, monocalcium phosphate)mono - and diglycerideshydrogenated palm kernel oilsodium stearoyl lactylategelatincolor addedsoy lecithindatemnatural and artificial flavorcarnauba waxxanthan gumyellow 6 lakeblue 2 lakeniacinamidecaramel colorreduced ironred 40 lakeyellow 5 lakevitamin a palmitatevitamin b6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride)yellow 5vitamin b2 (riboflavin)red 40vitamin b1 (thiamin hydrochloride)yellow 6blue 1blue 2
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.