amber
E476
Castor-oil-derived emulsifier ubiquitous in compound chocolate. Same gut-barrier concerns as the other Chassaing-class emulsifiers.
Low Tox Gear · Scanner
Tim Tams
Is Arnott’s Tim Tams 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
Cochineal
Insect-derived red colour. Documented IgE allergen with anaphylaxis case reports.
DiCello et al. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 1999 (carmine anaphylaxis)
Full ingredients (from label)
biscuits: milk chocolate (38%) (sugar, milk solids, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, vegetable oil, emulsifiers (soy lecithin, e476), flavour)wheat floursugarvegetable oil (contains soy)golden syrupfood colours (caramel iii, beet red, cochineal, annatto)cocoa powdersaltbaking powderemulsifier (soy lecithin)flavour.
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.