PILLSBURY CRESCENTS — FAR FROM HOMEMADE™

Information updated January 2024

Pillsbury Crescents are manufactured by General Mills.

Pillsbury’s origins are in creating flour which naturally led to the subsequent production of commercial flour-based items such as their Crescents:

THE CRESCENT DOUGH WAS THE ‘BIG NEWS’ AT THE PILLSBURY BAKE-OFF IN 1970. Pillsbury has intermittently sponsored a Bake-Off since 1949.

TODAY, PILLSBURY CRESCENTS CONTAIN 4 INGREDIENTS WHICH ARE BANNED AT WHOLE FOODS: Whole Foods cites certain ingredients as “Unacceptable in food” and Pillsbury Crescents contain four of them including Bleached Flour, Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate and Tert-Butylhydroquinone (listed as TBHQ) (Source for Pillsbury ingredients: General Mills Pillsbury Web site 1/24; Source for banned ingredients: Amazon Whole Foods Web site 1/24)

Ingredients are always listed in descending order of amount: The top 6 ingredients in Pillsbury Crescents are Enriched Flour Bleached, Water, Soybean Oil, Palm Oil, Hydrogenated Palm Oil and Fractionated Palm Oil.

Shown below, HONEY BUTTER PILLSBURY CRESCENTS CONTAIN NO REAL BUTTER AND NO REAL HONEY: Although designated as Honey Butter, these ingredients are not actually contained within. The Honey Butter Crescents from Pillsbury have 6 ingredients banned at Whole Foods including Bleached Flour, Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Artificial Flavor, Sucralose which is an Artificial Sweetener, Tert-Butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) and Sodium Aluminum Phosphate.

CITRIC ACID IS NOT FROM CITRUS: These Honey Butter Crescents and other Pillsbury Crescents contain the FDA-recognized Chemical Preservative Citric Acid which is derived from Aspergillus niger. Unless specifically noted as ‘Naturally-derived Citric Acid’, Citric Acid is manufactured.

“The average consumer is under the impression that the added Citric Acid listed in the ingredients of prepared foods, beverages and vitamins is derived from natural sources such as lemons and limes. However, the ingredient list is quite misleading since the added Citric Acid is not procured through natural sources. More accurate terminology would list this substance as Manufactured Citric Acid (MCA). Approximately 99% of the world’s production of Manufactured Citric Acid is carried out using the fungus Aspergillus niger, a known allergen.” 

(Source: U.S. National Library of Medicine/National Institutes of Health published 8/9/18. “Potential role of the common food additive Manufactured Citric Acid in eliciting significant inflammatory reactions contributing to serious disease states: A series of four case reports.”)

Seen below, PILLSBURY’S FILLED CRESCENTS CHERRY CONTAIN 9 INGREDIENTS BANNED AT WHOLE FOODS. These Filled Crescents contain many of the same banned ingredients previously noted plus the cherries are treated with two Chemical Preservatives: Erythorbic Acid + Ascorbic Acid; it is noted that these two Acids are used to protect the color of the cherries . . . but then General Mills also adds two Artificial Colors including Red 40 and Blue 1, plus Annatto Extract, also for color.

Q: WHAT IS TBHQ WHICH IS LISTED ON ALL THESE PILLSBURY CRESCENTS INGREDIENT LABELS?

A: TBHQ or Tert-Butylhydroquinone is a man-made chemical preservative, usually depicted on ingredient labels by the innocuous and relatively unknown acronym, TBHQ.

GENERAL MILLS CRESCENT ROLL COMPARISON: General Mills manufactures the Pillsbury Crescents, plus General Mills also produces versions of Crescent Rolls under their Annie’s Brand and their Immaculate Baking Company Brand. (Sources: General Mills Web sites: Pillsbury, Annie’s, Immaculate Baking Company 1/24)

So, the same company manufactures both a Far From Homemade version (Pillsbury) and two other organic versions at higher price points (Annie’s and Immaculate).

Annie’s and Immaculate Baking Crescent Rolls both contain ingredients Not In Kitchen when making homemade rolls including Organic Palm Oil, Xanthan Gum and Commercial Organic Natural Flavor. Note: Xanthan Gum might be included in a Gluten-Free recipe but these are not Gluten-Free.

And we leave you with a glance back at some old Pillsbury ads:

Discover food + beverages whose ingredients are Closest To Homemade in 275+ categories >> manufactured food + beverages whose ingredients are closest to those we would use at home to make the item. Neither money nor products are ever accepted to appear on the Closest To Homemade list.

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