Refer to Product and Vendor Selection Criteria.
various 2016
An article in Food Processing on 2016 March 22 lists five controversial ingredients that some processors are avoiding – but which the US FDA (as this time still) considers safe.
- brominated vegetable oil (BVO)
- BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene)
- nitrites and nitrates
- aspartame
- high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
various 2015
Whole Foods
Panera Bread – List of 150 unacceptable ingredients that Panera Bread decided to remove from its offerings – including non-nutritive sweeteners except stevia and monk fruit.
Papa John’s International
Schwan Food Co.: artificial trans fats/partially hydrogenated oils, dyes, artificial flavors, HFCS
Kroger 2012
An article on Kroger in the 2012 September 24 issue of Food Business News states that Kroger’s new ‘Simple Truths’ and ‘Simple Truths Organics’ house brands will eschew 101 ingredients. (Technically there were 103 ingredients listed, but there was at least one case of redundant names: lines 28 and 30 were carmine and cochineal respectively and they cross-referenced each other.)
Unacceptable ingredients
(K – Kroger; P – Panera Bread)
Acesulfame-K (acesulfame potassium) – K, P
Acetylated ester of mono- and diglycerides – K
Alum (Aluminum Ammonium Sulfate/Aluminium Potassium Sulfate) – P
Aluminum Calcium Silicate/Bentonite (Calcium Aluminosilicate, Calcium Silicoaluminate, Sodium Calcium Silicoaluminate) – P
Ammonium Chloride – K, P
Antibiotics – K
Artificial colors (synthetic and certified FD&C) – K, P
Artificial flavors – K, P
Aspartame – K, P
Astaxanthin – K, P
Autolyzed Yeast Extract – K, P
Azo Dyes – P
Azodicarbonamide – K, P
Bentonite (acceptable in supplements) – K
Benzoates in food / benzoic acid – K, P
Benzoyl alcohol / benzoyl peroxide (synthetic only) – K, P
B.H.A. / BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) – K, P
B.H.T. / BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) – K, P
Bisulfites – K
Bleached flour – K
Bromated flour – K, P
Brominated vegetable oil (B.V.O. / BVO) – K, P
Caffeine (added, not naturally occurring) – P
Calcium bromate – K, P
Calcium disodium E.D.T.A. – K
Calcium peroxide – K, P
Calcium propionate – K
Calcium stearoyl-2-lactylate – K
Calcium sorbate – K, P
Canthaxanthin – P
Caprocaprylobehenin – K, P
Caramel Color (Classes II-IV) – P
Carboxymethyl Cellulose – P
Carmine / cochineal – K, P
Cyclamates – K
Cystine (I-cysteine), as an additive for bread products – K
D.A.T.E.M. / DATEM (Diacetyl tartaric and fatty acid esters of mono and diglycerides) – K, P
Diacetyl/Acetoin – P
Diglycerides (Okay in supplements) – K
Dimethylamylamine (D.M.A.A.)
Dimethylpolysiloxane – K
Dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (D.S.S.) – K
Dipotassium Sulfate – P
Disodium guanylate (G.M.P. / GMP) – K, P
Disodium inosinate (IMP) – P
Disodium succinate – K
EDTA – ethylenedia mine-tetra acetic acid-chelating preservative / Disodium calcium E.D.T.A. / Disodium dihydrogen E.D.T.A. – K, P
Erythorbic acid – K
Ester gums / esters of fatty acids – K, P
Ethanol, ethyl alcohol – K
Ethoxyquin – P
Ethyl vanillin – K
Ethylene oxide – K
Ethyoxyquin – K, P
Fat Substitutes (Sucrose polyester (brand name Olestra, Olean), Microparticulated Whey Protein Concentrate (brand name Simplesse)) – K, P
FD&C colors (food, dye and color) – K, P
Glycerides (mono & diglycerides, all forms) – P
Glycerol ester of wood rosin – K, P
Hexa-, hepta- and octa-esters of sucrose – K
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) – K, P
Hydrogenated/partially hydrogenated fats & oils – K
Hydrogenated starch – P
Hydrolyzed Soy or Corn Protein – P
Hydroxpropyl guar gum – K
Lard – P
L-Cysteine (Cystine) – P
Maltodextrin – P
Methylene chloride – K
Methyl silicon – K
Modified food starch – (acceptable if not chemically modified) – K
Monoglycerides – K, P
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) / sodium glutamate (added MSG, not naturally occurring) – K, P
Neotame – K, P
Nitrates/nitrites (added, not naturally occurring) – K, P
Oxystearin – K
Parabens – K, P
Partially hydrogenated oil / artificial trans fat – K, P
Polydextrose – K, P
Polysorbates (all) – P
Potassium benzoate – K, P
Potassium bisulfate – K, P
Potassium bromate – K, P
Potassium hydroxide – K
Potassium Lactate – P
Potassium metabisulfite – K
Potassium nitrate or nitrite – K
Potassium sorbate (acceptable in supplements only) – K, P
Propionates (calcium and sodium) – K, P
Propyl gallate – K, P
Propylene Glycol – P
Propylene Glycol Alginate – P
Propylene oxide – K
Propylparaben – K, P
Saccharin (calcium saccharin) – K, P
Salatrim – P
Silicones / Siloxanes (Methyl Silicon, Dimethylpolysiloxane) – P
Artificial Smoke Flavor – P
Sodium aluminum phosphate – K
Sodium aluminum sulfate – K
Sodium benzoate – K, P
Sodium bisulfate – K
Sodium diacetate – K, P
Sodium Erythorbate – P
Sodium ferrocycanide – K
Sodium glutamate – K
Sodium Lactate – P
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate – P
Sodium metabisulfite – K, P
Sodium nitrate/nitrite – K
Sodium Phosphate / Trisodium Phosphate – P
Sodium propionate – K
Sodium sterol lactylate – K
Sodium steroyl-2-lactylate – K
Sodium sulfite – K
Solvent extracted oils, as stand-alone, single-ingredient oils (except grape seed oil) – K
Sorbic acid – K, P
Stannous Chloride – P
Sucralose – K, P
Sucroglycerides – K, P
Sulfites (Sulfur dioxide) / (added, not naturally occurring) – K, P
Sulfur Dioxide – P
Tartrazine – K
T.B.H.Q.(TBHQ, tertiary butylhydroquinone) – K, P
Tetrasodium E.D.T.A. – K
Theobromine (added, not naturally occurring) – P
Titanium Dioxide – K, P
Trans fatty acids – K
Triacetin/Glycerol Triacetate – P
Vanillin – K, P