Ingredient data all within the last 12 months

It’s Not You, It’s Them

Have you ever noticed there are many foods and drinks from your childhood that don't taste the way they used to? Maybe you have some favorite item in particular which you wistfully remember. The product is still here today, but it’s just not the same. There’s something about it that’s not quite right. Well . . . it’s not you, it’s them. 

The reason they don't taste the way you remember is because the ingredients have changed. 

Almost all of the #1 brands in the U.S. have changed their ingredients from what they were originally. 

Things Have Changed

There is an episode of Showtime’s Billions where billionaire Bobby Axelrod takes some time to share an experience from his own childhood with his two sons >> a cherished memory built around eating a special YumTime snack every day as a reward when he finished his paper route. 

So, Bobby is very excited about these particular snacks but, when he shares one with his sons, he is literally distraught and disillusioned. 

What has happened to my favorite childhood snack!? 

It turns out that the snack company slowly changed the ingredients from Sugar and no preservatives, to things like Corn Syrup and Polysorbate, for financial reasons. So, Bobby decides to buy part of YumTime and force them to go back to the original recipe which used real Sugar and didn’t contain chemical ingredients. 

It’s illuminating to hear the reasons why one of the board members of the snack company thinks it’s a crazy idea to use the original ingredients . . . 

“Do you have any idea of the cost of returning to the old recipes?”

“We can’t remain competitive.”

“That would destroy profits!”

Although Billions is fictional, the show’s success is linked to the writers’ awesome abilities to nail real human history. 

THEN vs. NOW INGREDIENT COMPARISONS

When we compare the ingredients of iconic #1 U.S. products — what they contained decades ago to what they contain today — we see multiple ingredient changes.

As you look at these products below, note the most common ingredient changes:

• Removal of Fresh Ingredients

• Change from Sugar to High Fructose Corn Syrup

• Addition of Sweeteners

• Addition of Water

• Addition of Natural Flavors

• Change to Soybean Oil

• Addition of Chemical Preservatives, notably Citric Acid*

 *Unless specifically noted as ‘Naturally-derived Citric Acid’, Manufactured Citric Acid is not from citrus fruit, it is created using Aspergillus Niger (a.k.a. black mold). Source: U.S. National Library of Medicine/National Institutes of Health

Reminder: Ingredients are Listed in Descending Order of Amount. There is the most amount of the ingredient listed first and the least amount of the ingredient listed last.

OCEAN SPRAY CRANBERRY SAUCE

HEINZ KETCHUP

PEARL MILLING COMPANY SYRUP (formerly Aunt Jemima)

OREO

HELLMANN’S/BEST FOODS MAYONNAISE

POP-TARTS

CAMPBELL’S SOUP

RITZ CRACKERS

THOMAS’ ENGLISH MUFFINS

JELL-O GELATIN

COCA-COLA

COOL WHIP

VELVEETA

HERSHEY’S SYRUP

CHIPS AHOY!

NILLA WAFERS

HONEY NUT CHEERIOS

GIRL SCOUTS THIN MINTS COOKIES

KRAFT MACARONI & CHEESE

GORTON’S FISH STICKS

REESE’S PEANUT BUTTER CUPS

HAWAIIAN PUNCH

FANTA ORANGE SODA

Q: What’s the big deal with High Fructose Corn Syrup?

If you’re trying to eat better, if you’re in food or beverage marketing, if you have food allergies, a medical issue or simply a pressing curiosity about what’s in the foods we eat, please consider watching the Ingredient Inspector YouTube video on High Fructose Corn Syrup >> there are so many implications connected to the rising use of Corn Syrups that it is worth taking the few minutes for a basic understanding of the numerous concerns on multiple levels.

See ingredient changes parent company Amazon has made to their Whole Foods 365 products:

Q: How do you feel after seeing all these changes?

Let us know if there are any favorite childhood products whose ingredients you suspect may have changed and we will investigate.

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

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