Tarlo Get the app
Cluster

Ingredients & additives

A status board listing synthetic dyes with Canada-permitted and US phase-out badges.
Ingredients & additives

Are Food Dyes Banned in Canada? Every Dye's 2026 Status

No dye is banned in Canadian food. The full status table — Red 40, Red 3, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1 — vs the US phase-out and EU warnings, kept current.

Aug 25, 2026
A two-column scorecard comparing ingredient bans in the United States and Canada.
Ingredients & additives

Banned in the US, Legal in Canada — and the Reverse (2026)

The cross-border scorecard: Red 3 and BVO vs potassium bromate and rBST. Which food ingredients each country prohibits, permits, and why they disagree.

Aug 25, 2026
A status card showing aspartame permitted in Canada with the 2023 WHO review noted.
Ingredients & additives

Is Aspartame Banned in Canada? (2026 Answer)

No — aspartame is permitted in Canada and in every major market. Where the ban rumours come from, what the WHO actually said, and how to avoid it by choice.

Aug 25, 2026
A status card showing brominated vegetable oil banned in Canada as of August 2025, with a citrus drink motif.
Ingredients & additives

Is BVO Banned in Canada? Yes — Here's the Timeline

Yes: Health Canada revoked brominated vegetable oil, with the transition ending August 30, 2025. What BVO was, why it's gone, and what replaced it in drinks.

Aug 25, 2026
A status card showing Red 40 under voluntary US phase-out but permitted in Canada.
Ingredients & additives

Is Red 40 Banned in Canada? (2026 Status)

No — Red 40 (Allura Red) is permitted in Canada. The US is phasing it out voluntarily by 2026–2027. The status on both sides of the border, explained.

Aug 25, 2026
A status card showing Red 3 banned in the US but still permitted in Canada.
Ingredients & additives

Is Red Dye 3 Banned in Canada? (2026 Answer)

No — Red 3 (erythrosine) is still permitted in Canada, even though the US FDA revoked it in 2025. Where it appears here, and how to avoid it if you choose.

Aug 25, 2026
Cereal and crackers beside a label card highlighting BHA and BHT preservatives.
Ingredients & additives

BHA, BHT & TBHQ: The Preservatives Under Scrutiny

What BHA, BHT and TBHQ do, why California listed BHA as a carcinogen while Canada permits it, where they hide, and how to avoid them automatically.

Aug 24, 2026
A zero-sugar drink beside a label card highlighting acesulfame-potassium E950.
Ingredients & additives

Acesulfame Potassium (Ace-K): The Sweetener You Missed

Ace-K is in more products than aspartame but far less known. What acesulfame potassium is, why it's always blended, and how to spot it on Canadian labels.

Aug 24, 2026
A bottle of canola oil with a maple leaf mark beside an ingredient label reading vegetable oil (canola).
Ingredients & additives

Is Canola Oil Bad for You? Canada's Own Oil, Examined

Canola was invented in Canada — and it's the most argued-about oil on the shelf. The erucic acid history, the refining debate, and how to avoid it.

Aug 24, 2026
A carton of plant-based milk beside a label card with carrageenan highlighted.
Ingredients & additives

Is Carrageenan Bad for You? Thickener Facts for Canada

What carrageenan is, why it's controversial, the degraded vs food-grade distinction most posts miss, and how to spot it on Canadian labels.

Aug 24, 2026
A label card with 'monosodium glutamate' highlighted beside chips and instant noodles.
Ingredients & additives

Is MSG Bad for You? The Evidence vs the Myth

Where MSG comes from, why it got its bad reputation, what Health Canada and the research actually say, and how to spot it on Canadian labels.

Aug 24, 2026
A yellow sweetener sachet card labelled sucralose E955 beside a zero-sugar drink can.
Ingredients & additives

Is Sucralose (Splenda) Bad for You? A Label Guide

What sucralose is, where it hides on Canadian labels, what Health Canada and WHO reviews actually say, and how to avoid it automatically if you prefer.

Aug 24, 2026
A yellow drink and snack beside a label card highlighting tartrazine E102.
Ingredients & additives

Is Tartrazine (Yellow 5) Bad for You? Canadian Guide

What tartrazine is, why Canada uses that name instead of Yellow 5, the hyperactivity and sensitivity evidence, and how to spot it on any label.

Aug 24, 2026
Sliced deli meat beside a label card highlighting sodium nitrite E250.
Ingredients & additives

Nitrites in Deli Meat: What the Science Says (Canada)

What sodium nitrite does in cured meat, the IARC processed-meat classification, the 'uncured' label trick, and how to check any Canadian product.

Aug 24, 2026
A split card showing E171 titanium dioxide banned in the EU but permitted in Canada.
Ingredients & additives

Titanium Dioxide in Food: Banned in the EU, Legal in Canada

Why the EU banned E171 while Health Canada calls it safe, which Canadian products still use titanium dioxide, and how to avoid it if you choose.

Aug 24, 2026
Four cards showing the NOVA groups from whole foods to ultra-processed products.
Ingredients & additives

Ultra-Processed Foods & NOVA Groups, Explained

What 'ultra-processed' actually means, the four NOVA groups with Canadian examples, what the research says, and the practical markers on any label.

Aug 24, 2026
A powdered drink and snack beside a label card highlighting maltodextrin.
Ingredients & additives

What Is Maltodextrin — and Why Is It in Everything?

Maltodextrin isn't a sugar on the label, but it can spike blood glucose faster than one. What it is, why it's everywhere, and how to spot it in Canada.

Aug 24, 2026
Two label cards showing the US term 'high-fructose corn syrup' equals the Canadian term 'glucose-fructose'.
Ingredients & additives

High-Fructose Corn Syrup vs 'Glucose-Fructose' in Canada

Why Canadian labels say 'glucose-fructose' instead of high-fructose corn syrup, whether they're the same thing, and how to spot it on any product.

Jul 1, 2026
A sweetener sachet card showing aspartame's E951 code, the 40 mg/kg daily limit and the IARC Group 2B classification.
Ingredients & additives

Is Aspartame Bad for You? Health Canada & IARC

What aspartame is, where it appears on Canadian labels, what Health Canada, IARC and the WHO actually said in 2023, and how to avoid it if you prefer.

Jul 1, 2026
An ingredient list card with 'Allura Red (E129)' highlighted, next to chips showing the US name Red 40 and the Canadian name Allura Red.
Ingredients & additives

Is Red 40 (Allura Red) Bad for You? A Canadian Label Guide

What Red 40 / Allura Red is, how it appears on Canadian labels, what Health Canada and other regulators say, and how to spot it fast while shopping.

Jul 1, 2026
Three oil drops labelled canola, soybean and sunflower above a Canadian label chip reading 'vegetable oil (canola and/or soybean)'.
Ingredients & additives

Seed Oils on Canadian Labels: Canola, Soy & Sunflower

What 'seed oils' means, where canola, soybean and sunflower oil hide on Canadian ingredient lists, what the debate is about, and how to avoid them.

Jul 1, 2026