Mrs. Butterworth’s - not a syrup you want on your morning pancakes

Written by Ajay Chohan, Founder @ Small Batch Goodness

Mrs. Butterworth’s Original Syrup - KraftHeinz

Why Mrs. Butterworth’s branding is misleading: On its website Mrs. Butterworth’s syrup touts being “deliciously thick and rich” - without clarifying it’s actually thick and rich in additives, artificial flavors and harmful chemicals tied to obesity, cancer and skin irritations

Potentially Harmful Ingredients in Mrs. Butterworth’s Syrup to Avoid: High Fructose Corn Syrup, Caramel Color, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Artificial Flavors

Mrs. Butterworth’s fake maple syrup is “rich” in High Fructose Corn Syrup, which is constantly linked with obesity & other health issues.

We are pretty sure Mrs. Butterworth did not make this concoction in her kitchen after a stroll through her maple tree farm. There is nothing real about this junk syrup. High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is the first & main ingredient/additive in this “rich” syrup (second additive being regular corn syrup). HFCS is made by separating glucose and fructose in corn, leaving behind highly concentrated fructose. Fructose is not easily digestible by our bodies and humans did not evolve to consume this. HFCS has thus been constantly linked with weight gain & obesity, amongst other health problems (1).

Mrs. Butterworth’s syrup is also full of toxic ingredients like artificial caramel coloring, 4-Mel and more linked with cancer and extreme skin irritations.

Butterworth’s gets its “rich” color form caramel color, another harmful additive. This synthetic color is made by reacting corn syrup with ammonia and sulfites under high pressure. Here is where it gets worse. The caramel color in Mrs. Butterworth’s Original syrup was shown to contain 21 micrograms of 4-Mel per ¼ cup of serving, according to a study by Consumer Reports (2). 4-Mel is a potential human carcinogen shown to cause cancerous tumors in mice. The levels in this fake maple syrup are not negligible either. For contrast, an authentic maple syrups brand like Maple Grove Farms 100% Pure Maple Syrup only contained 0.7 micrograms of 4-Mel per ¼ cup of serving (2). While the amount of 4-Mel in Mrs. Butterworth’s meets FDA’s “generally safe” standards, it is best to avoid foods containing 4-Mel.

The risk here is 4-Mel accumulation over years and decades. If your daily diet contains other processed foods like soda or soy sauce, which have caramel color and consequently 4-Mel, it’s a concern. As this ConsumerReports.org article states while summarizing its study results on 4-Mel, “Pancake syrup is far less expensive than pure maple syrup, but those savings come at a price. Caramel color is often used to give the syrups their amber hue, and some types can contain 4-MeI—a potential carcinogen.

This chemical has been shown to cause cancer in mice, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, says that it may cause cancer in people as well.” Even outside of the 4-Mel concern, you don’t want to be eating foods made using high pressure and heat heat techniques, like the synthetic caramel coloring is made.

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A treat for maple purists.

Runamok is Vermont’s finest maple syrup. The company was founded by husband & wife Eric and Laura Sorkin, who started by tapping woods in their family maple orchard. Runamok today crafts traditional, infused and barrel-aged maple syrups.

This sugarmaker’s cut is one for the maple purists! The best organic maple syrup captured when the season’s flavor is at its peak.

Add the distinguished rich taste of Runamok maple syrups to your breakfast ritual. Get the sugarmaker’s cut here and check out Runamok’s full maple syrup + honey range here.

Please note: MisleadingBrands.com will receive a small commission should you purchase from our links at no cost to you. Thank YOU for supporting our site!

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The synthetic additive Sodium Hexametaphosphate in Mrs. Butterworth’s has links with kidney issues and loss of bone calcium.

Sodium Hexametaphosphate is yet another additive in Mrs. Butterworth’s to avoid. Sodium Hexametaphosphate is a synthetic compound used as a thickener in foods, and linked with “swollen kidneys, loss of bone calcium, extreme skin irritations and other precursors to cancer” in tests on lab animals (3). Sodium Hexametaphosphate also has industrial uses as an adhesive and a “floatation agent” (4). Yup, not something you want on your morning pancakes!

Remember folks, genuine maple syrup only has one ingredient, namely maple syrup.

Mrs. Butterworth’s is not real maple syrup.

The brand needs to clarify what exactly their syrup is “rich” in since it contains 0% actual maple syrup. The next time you ask yourself if your favorite pancake syrup is gluten free, vegan or how many calories it has; dive deeper into the ingredients to make sure it is not toxic. We recommend consumers to ditch this artificial blend of chemicals and flavors from their breakfast, and instead search for a real maple syrup.

Is (or was) Mrs. Butterworth’s pancake syrup part of your breakfast routine? Share your thoughts below!

Sources - Research for Yourself!

1. https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/healthier-real-maple-syrup-fake-10612.html

2. https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2014/03/caramel-coloring-in-pancake-syrup/index.htm

3. https://www.isitbadforyou.com/questions/is-sodium-hexametaphosphate-bad-for-you

4. https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/sodium-hexametaphosphate-market.asp

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