Golden Syrup

Golden Syrup carries a safety score of 3/5 and appears in 61 indexed US food products.

Safety score 60.0%

3/5 from FDA SAFFA + CSPI Chemical Cuisine

How common is vs other flagged additives?

Number of indexed products containing each of the most common flagged additives — Golden Syrup highlighted.

Indexed products containing each flagged additive. Source: Open Food Facts ingredient lists × FDA SAFFA × CSPI Chemical Cuisine.

Caramel Coloring22612Red 4021595Yellow 518987Carrageenan17853Blue 116643Yellow 613560Sucralose10490Golden Syrup61
Indexed products containing each flagged additive. Source: Open Food Facts ingredient lists × FDA SAFFA × CSPI Chemical Cuisine.
Safety Score
3/5

Safety Assessment

Golden Syrup has a moderate safety profile (3/5). While approved for use, some studies or consumer advocacy groups have raised questions about certain aspects of this ingredient. Consumers who prefer caution may wish to limit intake.

What the Data Says About

Golden Syrup currently appears in 61 products across the OpenFoodFacts catalog we index, which gives a concrete measure of its footprint on US grocery shelves. Our internal safety score of 3/5 synthesizes FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) regulatory status with the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) Chemical Cuisine classification. These two frameworks capture different questions: regulators ask whether exposure at typical intake is acceptable, while consumer-advocacy groups examine cumulative dietary load and vulnerable-population risk.

Golden Syrup serves one or more technical functions in food manufacturing — stabilization, flavor, preservation, or structural role — which explains its presence across multiple product categories in our database. Inspection and outbreak records frequently trace back to control failures around functional additives, whether through batch contamination, undisclosed substitutions, or labeling mismatches that trigger recall classifications by the FDA.

No specific concern flags are attached to Golden Syrup in our current data snapshot beyond the regulatory and CSPI classifications above. That does not rule out individual sensitivity reactions, and anyone managing allergies, elimination diets, or chronic conditions should verify with a qualified healthcare professional before relying on population-level ratings.

Safety Profile at a Glance

Regulatory and safety classifications for Golden Syrup
Source Classification Year
FDA SAFFA Not listed 2024
CSPI Chemical Cuisine Not rated 2024
PlainFoodSafe Score 3/5 2026
Product footprint 61 products OpenFoodFacts

FDA SAFFA database, CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings, OpenFoodFacts product index. See methodology.

Products Containing

Showing 50 of 61 products

Arnott's, Chewy Caramel
Arnott's Biscuits Limited
100/100
Banana oat squares with superfood lucuma
Unknown
100/100
Berry oat squares with superfoods, berry
Unknown
100/100
Bircher Muesli Bowl
Pret
100/100
Choco Boy
Orion
100/100
Chocolate pudding
Unknown
100/100
Cinnamon oat squares with superfoods
Unknown
100/100
Cocoa oat squares with superfoods
Unknown
100/100
Digestive Biscuits imp
Lovemore
100/100
Free From Rocky Road Mini Bites
Tesco
80/100
Fudgee o original cookies
Christie
100/100
Ginger Oat Grahams
Nairn's
100/100
Gingerbread Snowflakes
Daylesford
100/100
Gluten free oat grahams
Unknown
100/100
Granola Almond & Super Berry
Sunsol
100/100
High Protein Granola choc almond
Sunsol
100/100
High Protein Granola Honey Nut
Sunsol
100/100
Hobnobs Chocolate Flap Jack 5 Pack 148.5G
Unknown
100/100
Honey infused bbq sauce
Unknown
100/100
Ice cream
Unknown
100/100
Kirkland signature, chocolate chunk cookies
Unknown
100/100
Linguine with Pesto & Tomatoes
Trader Giotto's
100/100
Maple oat squares
Unknown
100/100
Maryland Choc Chip
Golden Cookies
100/100
Mcvitie's Moments 4 Honeycomb Tiffin
Unknown
100/100
Mcvities Digestive Chocolate Slices 5 Pack 128.6G
McVities
100/100
Mcvities Hobnobs Oaty Flap Jack 5 Pack 148.5G
McVities
100/100
Mcvities Moments 4 Cherry Choccy Rocky Road
McVities
100/100
Mcvities Moments 4 Salted Caramel Billionaire
McVities
100/100
Mcvities Moments Honeycomb Crunch 4'S
McVities
100/100
Millionaire's mini bites
Saint Alby
100/100
Mini Flapjack Bites
Tesco
100/100
Mr Kipling Treacle Tart
Mr Kipling
100/100
Muddy Puddles
Unknown
100/100
Norfolk Cake Co Cinnamon Flapjack
Unknown
100/100
Norfolk Cake Co Honey Flapjack
Unknown
100/100
Nutri Grain Original
Kellogg's
100/100
Oat grahams, stem ginger
Unknown
100/100
Oatmeal Crisp Protein Apple Crisp
General Mills
85/100
Original Fruit Flapjack Bar
Graze
100/100
Original oat grahams
Nairn's
100/100
Orion, Choco Boy, Chocolate Biscuit, Chocolate
Orion Corp.
100/100
Pure butter gingerbread men
Walkers
100/100
Signature 181 competition award winning bbq sauce, bbq
Unknown
100/100
Smoothie mix
Concord Foods
100/100
Smoothie mix with flaxseed
Concord Foods
100/100
Soft White Bread, White
Promise gluten free
100/100
Steamed Puddings
Aunty's
100/100
Steamed Puddings
Aunty's
100/100
Sunstart quality bakers, ginger golen crunch cookie
Sunstart Quality Bakers
100/100

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Golden Syrup safe to eat?

Golden Syrup has a safety score of 3/5. Always check with a healthcare provider if you have specific dietary concerns.

What products contain Golden Syrup?

Golden Syrup is found in 61 products in our database, spanning various food categories and brands.

What does Golden Syrup do in food?

Golden Syrup serves various technical functions in food manufacturing and processing.

Where does this ingredient safety data come from?

Safety data comes from the FDA's SAFFA (Substances Added to Food) database, CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) ratings, and the OpenFoodFacts product database. Product counts reflect items cataloged in OpenFoodFacts.