WHAT ARE THEY FEEDING OUR CHILDREN? - KELLOGG'S BUGS, HORMONES, CARCINOGENS

You wouldn't think you would have to check to see if your pop-tart is vegetarian, but if you are eating Kellogg's pop-tarts, you are not eating a vegetarian pop-tart. In addition to not being vegetarian, these things are loaded with a bunch of chemicals and other questionable ingredients.

A closer look at the ingredients of the" Wild Strawberry" flavor reveals an interesting find.

Wild Strawberry? More Like Wild Ingredients..

• First, in the ingredient list we see enriched flour. This is flour that has been stripped of its nutrients and has had artificial nutrients added back in. The artificial nutrients are the vitamins listed right after the enriched flour.
• Corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup and sugar. You can read about the dangers of high fructose corn syrup from one of my previous post here.
• Soybean oil is most likely from a GMO source. Soybean oil is listed twice in the ingredients.
• Palm Oil- Most palm oil that is harvested destroys the rainforest.
• TBHQ – This is a food preservative ,used to extend shelf life, that comes from butane. The FDA allows the use of this food preservative in the amounts of 0.02%. It is a very small amount, and as you might guess, it doesn't take a lot to cause harm. As little as 1 gram of this additive can cause side effects ranging from nausea, ADD symptoms, delirium, and asthma. It is also suspected of causing estrogen hormone disruption in women.  Estrogen hormone disruption can be associated with weight gain and cancer.
• Dextrose- Another form of sugar.
• Wheat Starch- Plain and simple, starch.
• Salt- Salt
• Dried strawberries, pears, and dried apples. Just keep that in mind for a moment and I will get back to that…. :)
• Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate- Another shelf life extender. Consumption of phosphates have been linked to osteoporosis.
• Monocalcium Phosphate- A preservative that extends shelf life. This is another form of a phosphate.
• Milled Corn- Most likely a GMO source.
• Gelatin- Made from animal hooves.
• Modified Corn Starch- A hidden form of MSG. You can read my post about MSG byclicking here.
• Soy Lecithin- Most likley from a GMO source.
• Modified Wheat Starch- A hidden form of MSG.
• Red 40 & Yellow 6- The Center for Science in the Pulic Interest had this to say about Red 40 and Yellow 6:
• "The three most widely used dyes, Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6, are contaminated with known carcinogens … Another dye, Red 3, has been acknowledged for years by the Food and Drug Administration to be a carcinogen, yet is still in the food supply."
• Carmine- Derived from ground up beetles. You can read my post about carmine by clicking here.
• Natural and Artificial Flavor- Natural strawberry flavor maybe made from a beavers anus. You can read more about natural flavors by reading my post  by clicking here.
  

Wow! What a list of ingredients!!!

I was curious about the little disclaimer just below the ingredients list that reads, " Filling made with equal to 10% fruit."  Made with equal to 10% fruit??

So what is fruit filling actually made of?

This question prompted me to call the good people at Kellogg's to find out.  The first customer service representative was adamant that this meant it could contain as little as 6% fruit or as much as 10% fruit depending on the actual amount of fruit inside the filling. She claimed they were allowed to label it that way based on FDA guidelines. I got off the phone …not convinced (even though she sure was). My research into the FDA yielded nothing.

I called the Kellogg company back and ask the same question. The representative that answered the phone admitted she didn't know what it meant, and the wording did sound strange. She agreed to have a specialist call me back. I did receive a call back with in 24 hours. I was told that dried fruit (listed in the ingredient list) is equal to 2% or less, and is hydrated with water to make it equal to 10% fruit. ..that sounds more like it.

So after a long list of shelf life extenders, GMOs, ground up bugs, carcinogens, and MSG… they have the nerve to call this product,"Wild Strawberry."  The dried fruit used to make the filling is 2% (or less)  total.  The 2% of dried fruit used isn't all strawberry. Some of that 2% is from dried pears and dried apples.

I also inquired from the Kellogg's company if the product was vegetarian. They said it was not because of the gelatin and carmine. I asked about the source of a natural flavor and they claimed it was proprietary information….doesn't surprise me in the least.

Sources: Center for Science in the Public Interest, Live Strong, Mercola.
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