Girl Scouts Coconut Caramel Mini Cupcakes

Flagged additives

• Tartrazine — Southampton study link to hyperactivity/attention effects in children; can trigger reactions in sensitive individuals.
• Ammonia caramel — Caramel colour class III; may contain 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI), an animal carcinogen.
• Sodium benzoate — Preservative; can form trace benzene (a carcinogen) when combined with ascorbic acid; implicated in child hyperactivity studies.
• Sodium propionate — Propionate preservatives have been associated in limited studies with behavioural/irritability effects in children and with migraine in sensitive individuals; evidence is weak.
• Calcium phosphates — Inorganic phosphate additives are highly bioavailable; high additive-phosphate intake is associated with increased cardiovascular and kidney burden, particularly in chronic kidney disease.
• Diphosphates — Inorganic phosphate additives are highly bioavailable; high additive-phosphate intake is associated with increased cardiovascular and kidney burden, particularly in chronic kidney disease.
• Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) — Synthetic emulsifier linked in animal and in-vitro studies to gut-microbiome disruption and intestinal inflammation; human evidence is emerging.