amber
Tbhq
Petroleum-derived antioxidant; immune-modulating in animal studies.
Low Tox Gear · Scanner
Protein meal bars, chocolate caramel
Is Kellogg's Protein meal bars, chocolate caramel low tox? Our scanner flagged 5 ingredients (5 in the caution tier) on its published label, screened against our 237 source-cited chemical rules.
5 caution
5 ingredients flagged
What we flagged
amber
Yellow 6 Lake
Hyperactivity link in childhood studies; warnings required in EU.
amber
Yellow 5 Lake
Implicated in childhood hyperactivity (Southampton study) and MCAS reactions.
amber
BHT For Freshness
Endocrine concerns at high exposure levels.
amber
Blue 2 Lake
Coal-tar derived.
Full ingredients (from label)
Soy protein isolatesugarsoluble corn fibervegetable oil (palm and palm kernel oil with sorbitan tristearate, soybean and palm oil with tbhq for freshness)fructosecorn syrupinulindextrosecocoa processed with alkalicontains 2% or less of waterricewhole grain wheatmolassesglycerinsorbitolnatural and artificial flavorsnonfat milksaltsoy lecithinwheat brancaramel colorwheysoluble wheat fibermalt flavorxanthan gumyellow 6 lakeyellow 5 lakebht for freshnessblue 2 lakealmond flourpartially defatted peanut flour. vitamins and minerals: calcium carbonatevitamin c (ascorbic acid)vitamin e (alpha tocopherol acetate)niacinamidezinc oxidereduced ironvitamin b6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride)vitamin a palmitatevitamin b1 (thiamin hydrochloride, thiamin mononitrate)vitamin b2 (riboflavin)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.