This page shows positive ingredient and Web site language and package changes which have taken place since Ingredient Inspector .Org launched.

CAMPBELL’S CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP

Following is part of the Ingredient Inspector review of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soups:

McDONALD’S CHEESEBURGER

Here’s part of the Ingredient Inspector review December 2023 where we highlighted the DATEM in the Cheeseburger Bun:

OLD EL PASO

Here are excerpts from the Ingredient Inspector review from December 2023:

SMUCKER’S UNCRUSTABLES

Here’s part of the Uncrustables Ingredient Inspector review:

BETTY CROCKER BROWNIE MIX

Here is the excerpt from the Ingredient Inspector review of Brownie Mixes noting the multiple banned-at-Whole-Foods ingredients in Betty Crocker Supreme Original Brownie Mix:

EARTH’S BEST BABY FOOD

Here is the excerpt from the Ingredient Inspector review of Earth’s Best Baby Foods noting the false No Preservatives claim:

OLD EL PASO TACO SEASONING

Here is the data we originally posted noting the added Sugar and Preservative:

PROGRESSO SOUP TOPPERS

Here is an excerpt from the Progresso Toppers review which noted the false “No added sugar” claims:

GuS VALENCIA ORANGE SODA

Following is the excerpt from the Orange Soda review where we noted the false claim:

CAMPBELL’S HOMESTYLE TOMATO SOUP

Here’s the part of our post in September 2022 where we noted the MSG:

BEN & JERRY’S

Here is the excerpt from our July 2022 Ben & Jerry’s review:

See the full review of Ben & Jerry’s:

ANNIE’S BUNNY GRAHAMS

Below is the excerpt from our June 2022 Graham Cracker review noting Annie’s false claim:

GIRL SCOUTS THIN MINTS

APPLEGATE ORGANIC CHICKEN STRIPS

Here is the Applegate image from the Ingredient Inspector post from April 2022:

THOMAS’ LIGHT MULTI-GRAIN ENGLISH MUFFINS

The Ingredient Inspector reviewed Thomas’ Light Multi-Grain English Muffins and noted they were Far From Homemade with multiple ingredients Not In Kitchen. Here’s part of the review as it appeared:

During our annual update to the review we noticed owner Bimbo Bakeries has removed some of the ingredients Not In Kitchen including three of the ingredients which are banned at Whole Foods. Although this is a slight improvement in the ingredients, Thomas’ Light Multi-Grain English Muffins are still Far From Homemade.

BISQUICK HEART SMART

Here is the visual from Ingredient Inspector review which noted General Mills’ misleading language:

FRITO-LAY SMARTFOOD KETTLE CORN

Here is the Ingredient Inspector review from January 2022 which noted Frito-Lay’s inclusion of Ascorbic Acid in Smartfood Kettle Corn and the therefore false package claim of ‘No Preservatives’:

DAISY LIGHT SOUR CREAM + COTTAGE CHEESE

BRACH’S CANDY CORN

Here is the excerpt from the Ingredient Inspector.org review and the original title slide for the Candy Corn Review >> both of these note that Brach’s Candy Corn contains more Corn Syrup and Sugar than it does Honey:

See what’s in Brach’s Classic Candy Corn Then vs. Now:

WELCH’S REDUCED SUGAR CONCORD GRAPE JELLY

Here is an excerpt from the review noting the Potassium Sorbate:

Discover some Fruit Spreads which are Closest To Homemade:

RAGU MARINARA SAUCE

Here is the review of Marinara Sauces noting the Soybean Oil in Ragú as it appeared:

Discover some Marinara Sauces whose ingredients are Closest To Homemade:

TYSON HONEY BBQ CHICKEN STRIPS

After the Ingredient Inspector.org review of Tyson Honey BBQ Chicken Strips in May 2021 which pointed out the four ingredients banned at Whole Foods, Tyson has removed three of them in 2022:

Here is the excerpt from the review of Tyson Honey BBQ Chicken Strips as it appeared:

See what’s in Tyson’s Chicken Strips:

CALIFIA FARMS OAT MILK

After an Ingredient Inspector review of Oat Milks in April 2021 which noted the misleading language on the Califia Farms Web site, the company corrected the description of their Vanilla Flavored Oat Milk to accurately reflect the use of Vanilla Flavor.

Here is the excerpt from the Ingredient Inspector review of Oat Milks noting Califia Farms misleading Web site language:

Discover what’s in some other Oat Milks and see which ones are Closest To Homemade:

HOOD FAT FREE COTTAGE CHEESE

Following an Ingredient Inspector review which noted Artificial Color in Cottage Cheeses such as Hood Fat Free is White (“We are eating white color”), HP Hood removed the Artificial Color from Hood Fat Free Cottage Cheese.

Here’s the excerpt from the Cottage Cheese review which noted the use of Artificial Color:

See what’s in some other Cottage Cheeses and discover some which are Closest To Homemade:

HOT POCKETS

An Ingredient Inspector review of Hot Pockets in January 2021 challenged the language used by Nestlé to describe the product online using the words “we choose only the best ingredients”. Since the review, Nestlé has eliminated the “best ingredients” language from the Hot Pockets Web site.

Here’s the Ingredient Inspector review of Hot Pockets in January 2021 which made Nestlé react and remove the language:

See what’s in Hot Pockets:

STARBUCKS

In December 2020, an Ingredient Inspector review of three Starbucks Frappuccinos pointed out that these Frappuccinos do not include Espresso and there was erroneous information on the Web site stating ‘Espresso’ as an ingredient. Here is the excerpt as it appeared:

During the annual update done to all Ingredient Inspector posts, it was discovered that Starbucks has changed the misleading language online and created a newly designated “Frappuccino Roast” to elevate the coffee and dilute the fact they are using Coffee in a drink named for using Espresso.

See what’s in Starbucks Holiday Frappuccinos:

PEPPERIDGE FARM GOLDFISH

An Ingredient Inspector review of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish in October 2020 noted they erroneously claimed that Goldfish products do not contain any preservatives when, in fact, some of them do contain preservatives. The Ingredient Inspector also questioned the company’s use of statements such as “Ingredients that you can feel good about” when some Goldfish products contain items such as MSG, Sugar and Autolyzed Yeast Extract.

An update in October 2021 reveals that Pepperidge Farm has removed this false language and eliminated the “Ingredients to smile about” headline:

See what’s in Goldfish crackers and discover some Cheese Crackers which are Closest To Homemade®:

KELLOGG’S SPECIAL K BARS

An Ingredient Inspector review of Special K Chocolatey Chip Protein Meal Bars noted that — although these bars do not contain real chocolate — Kellogg was inaccurately using the word ‘chocolate’.

In October 2021, it was noted that Kellogg has revised this language:

See what’s in Kellogg’s Special K Protein Meal Bars:

MICHELOB ULTRA ORGANIC SELTZER

Despite the fact that the product claim is “AS REAL AS IT TASTES”, the Original Line from Anheuser-Busch Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer has no real fruit juice.

An Ingredient Inspector review in February 2021 questioned this claim and it was noted in September 2021 that the New Line of recently introduced flavors contains Organic Fruit Juice Concentrate << this is highlighted on the carton and in the Web site descriptions.

Note: Although these new flavors each have Fruit Juice Concentrate, the fruit juice is not the actual fruit we see depicted on the carton front >> the Mixed Berry, for example, contains only White Grape Juice Concentrate.

See what’s in Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzers:

VLASIC PICKLES

An Ingredient Inspector review posted in September 2020 noted how Vlasic Pickles are banned at Whole Foods for containing Artificial Color, Yellow #5. The review also included a comparison of Vlasic to a Closest To Homemade® brand:

During the annual update in September 2021, it was discovered that Conagra has changed the Added Color from Artificial Yellow #5 to natural Turmeric Extract. The change has been highlighted on the new label design which notes ‘No Artificial Dyes’:

Discover some Pickles which are Closest To Homemade:

CAMPBELL’S CONDENSED TOMATO SOUP

Here’s part the Ingredient Inspector post on Campbell’s Tomato Soup which notes Campbell’s switch from historically using real Sugar as a Sweetener to using High Fructose Corn Syrup:

During the annual update to the information in September 2021, it was discovered that Campbell’s has returned to their original Sweetener, Sugar.

Discover some Tomato Soups which are Closest To Homemade:

WELCH’S FRUIT ‘N YOGURT SNACKS

In an Ingredient Inspector review of Welch’s Fruit ‘n Yogurt Snacks, it was noted that the center of the Blueberry Snacks contain 3 ingredients which are banned at Whole Foods >> Artificial Blueberry Flavor and 2 Artificial Colors:

While updating the Welch’s post in August 2021, it was discovered that owner Promotion in Motion has removed the Artificial Flavor and Artificial Colors.

See the detailed review of Welch’s Fruit ‘n Yogurt Snacks:

TARGET FROZEN FRUIT BARS

It was noted in 2020 that Target’s Simply Balanced frozen fruit bars contain Water as the first ingredient plus multiple ingredients Not In Kitchen™ including Flavor, Gum, Malic Acid and 2 FDA-recognized Chemical Preservatives:

In 2021, Target has made Fruit the first ingredient in their re-staged Good & Gather Store Brand Frozen Fruit Bars and eliminated the two Chemical Preservatives and the Annatto coloring.

See which Frozen Fruit Pops are Closest To Homemade:

HIDDEN VALLEY SIMPLY RANCH

Ingredient Inspector .org pointed out that Hidden Valley Simply Ranch is Far From Homemade™ with multiple ingredients Not In Kitchen™ when making homemade Ranch Dressing, but The Clorox Company was stating the product was “As close to homemade as you’ll get with bottled ranch”.

In June 2021, it was noted that Hidden Valley Simply Ranch eliminated the misleading language on their Web site: “As close to homemade as you’ll get with bottled ranch”. Now it states, “Ranch made simple”.

See what’s in other Hidden Valley Ranch products and find out which Ranch dressings are Closest To Homemade:

SPECIAL K PROTEIN BARS

In 2019, Kellogg’s Special K Double Chocolate Meal Bars were inspected. We detailed the three ingredients in these Special K Bars which are banned at Whole Foods. This is the review and image as they appeared:

In 2020, during an annual update to the Special K Protein Bar post, it was noted that Kellogg has removed those three specific banned ingredients from their Special K Double Chocolate bars >> unfortunately, despite these changes in the right direction, they are still Far From Homemade™.

See the Ingredient Inspector® review of Kellogg’s Special K Meal Bars:

HIDDEN VALLEY LIGHT RANCH DRESSING

In 2019, it was noted that Water was the first ingredient in Hidden Valley Light Dressing. We posed the question whether Water is added to a creamy homemade dressing.

This is the verbiage and slide as they appeared:

In 2020, an ingredient change was noted to Hidden Valley Light Dressing: The Clorox Company has moved Buttermilk up to the first ingredient position over Water in Hidden Valley Ranch Light:

Find out which Ranch Dressings are Closest To Homemade:

BREYERS CARBSMART MINT FUDGE BARS

In a February 2020 post on Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, we reviewed the CarbSmart Mint Fudge Bars from Unilever’s Breyers brand.

This is the slide posted which notes the language used on the Breyers’ Web site stating that their founder Mr. William Breyer, “ . . . would have approved of the type of ingredients we use to make them.” The slide also notes the five ingredients which are banned at Whole Foods as well as other ingredient highlights.

To note, Breyers ice cream was first created by Mr. Breyer in 1866.

In the body of the blog post, there is a point-by-point review of these ingredients which are in direct conflict with the All Natural brand promise when Mr. Breyer was alive:

In April 2020, a language change was noted on the Web site page for Breyers’ CarbSmart Mint Fudge Bars.

Unilever removed all of the language about Mr. Breyer approving of the ingredients and Unilever also removed the statement about “following the spirit of William’s Pledge of Purity.”

They even left a larger-than-usual gap where the language had appeared, deleting it without subsequently readjusting the spacing.

Find out which Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Creams are Closest To Homemade:

CAMPBELL’S CREAM OF POTATO SOUP FOR SCHOOLS K-12

One of the Ingredient Inspector® filters is Whole Foods. They have a list of banned ingredients which they cite as “unacceptable in food”. When reviewing Campbell’s Cream of Potato soup in a can, we realized that Campbell’s was producing two different versions of this product >> one for stores and one for schools.

Campbell’s Cream of Potato soup is a prime example of iconic American food products which have had so many ingredient changes over the decades that it is now Far From Homemade™. The ingredient analysis revealed that the School version for Kids Kindergarten-12 grade included more ingredients banned at Whole Foods (4) vs. the Store version (1).

During the update of this post in November 2019, we discovered that Campbell’s revised the formula for their School version of Cream of Potato Soup, dropping from 25 ingredients to 19. The product is still banned at Whole Foods but now it has only two Whole Foods-banned ingredients vs. four.

See the Then vs. Now on Campbell’s Cream of Potato Soup:

LEAN CUISINE LASAGNA

In a November 2018 review of Nestlé Lean Cuisine Five Cheese Lasagna, we posed this question:

Q: How can it say “No Preservatives” on the package of Nestlé’s Lean Cuisine Five Cheese Lasagna when it contains an FDA-recognized preservative?

This is the slide:

In January 2020, it was noted that the product still contains Citric Acid, but Nestlé removed the false ‘No Preservatives” claim from a newly designed Lean Cuisine package.

Find out what’s in Nestlé’s Lean Cuisine Lasagna with Meat Sauce and discover the one that’s Closest To Homemade:

ATKINS BARS

In February 2019, an Ingredient Inspector review of Atkins Bars >> one of the points made was the erroneous and misleading information on the Atkins Web site which stated that All of the Atkins Bars are made “without refined sugars, artificial flavors, colors or preservatives”. On the Very Same Page was a photo of the Atkins Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bar package which says ‘Artificially Flavored’ on the front.

Here’s that section of the Atkins Bar post from February 2019 . . .

Also included in the Atkins post back in February 2019 was the following slide, noting that same erroneous + misleading quote while highlighting ingredients contained in Atkins Cookies & Creme Bars:

In January 2020, during an update to the Atkins Bar post, a change was spotted in the language on the Atkins Web site >> they removed the word ‘simple’ from the ingredients’ description and revised the erroneous language to qualify that only some Atkins Bars have the noted attributes.

In addition, Atkins made a packaging change to those select Meal Bars which can deliver on any of those stated benefits.

See what’s in an Atkins Bar and discover a bar that’s Closest To Homemade:

In The Andy Warhol Diaries, Mr. Warhol makes a note in the introduction that there will be many references throughout the diaries to “this person gave me my first job” >> obviously there is only one person who actually gave him his first job but, upon his launch into Super Stardom, Mr. Warhol discovered there were 40 or more people claiming to be The One. He found it amusing.

So, we’re am not saying we are The One because we know that food companies make modifications for numerous reasons, but . . . these are a few of the ingredient changes noted since the Ingredient Inspector .org launched. We’re just happy to see a move in the right direction, yay!