Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie Is Safe For Consumption. All Ingredients Meet Safety Standards.

Social media users have recently raised concerns about the ingredients in Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies, claiming they contain potentially harmful additives such as Titanium Dioxide, Red 40, Polysorbate 80, and TBHQ. The viral posts have asked the consumers to stop consuming the product and switch to a safe substitute. 

However, Fact Crescendo found the claim to be false. All the ingredients in Little Debbi Oatmeat Cream Pie meets safety standards and the product is safe to consume. 

What’s the claim? 

Social media users are claiming that food additives in Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pie contain Titanium Dioxide which may damage DNA and cause cancer. Other additives like Red 40 and TBHQ are linked to allergies and hyperactivity in kids and weaken the immune system and Polysorbate 80 may lead to digestive issues.

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Fact Check- 

We found that Little Debbie’s Oatmeat Creme Pies contains many ingredients including TBHQ, Red 40, Polysorbate 80, Titanium Dioxide. But, we did not find the ingredient Carrageenan mentioned in the ingredient list of the said product.

Lets check the safety of each ingredient mentioned in the post. 

Titanium Dioxide: According to the Titanium Dioxide Manufacturers Association (TDMA), titanium dioxide is a bright white substance mainly used to add color and texture. It is considered safe as it does not react with other minerals and is used in many everyday products.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) reviewed the safety of Titanium Dioxide as a food additive and found that there is no evidence to suggest that the dietary exposure to food with titanium dioxide is a concern for human health. It has been allowed to use titanium dioxide in many consumer products in Australia and New Zealand. It has been in use for many years and has not given rise to adverse effects on humans.

On 24 November 2023, World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) released an assessment of the health impacts of titanium dioxide. According to the report, TiO₂ is poorly absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract. JECFA found no evidence of carcinogenic, reproductive, or developmental toxicity effects from long-term exposure to TiO₂.

Red 40: Red 40 is a synthetic dye that’s used in a variety of foods. The full name of this dye is FD and C red no. 40. It’s considered a color additive. Red no. 40 consists of a chemical compound called Allura red AC. 

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reviewed the safety of Allura Red AC (E 129), a food colouring allowed in the EU, and confirmed it is safe within the established acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 0-7 mg/kg body weight. While a recent study suggested it might cause DNA damage in mice at high doses, long-term studies showed no evidence of cancer, even at doses far exceeding typical human consumption. Other genetic tests and studies on its breakdown products also indicated no significant harm. EFSA concluded that the observed DNA effects are unlikely to lead to cancer, reaffirming Allura Red AC’s safety when used as a food additive.

TBHQ: The EFSA Panel reviewed the safety of TBHQ (E 319), a food additive allowed in the EU with a safe daily intake limit of 0.7 mg per kilogram of body weight. While past assessments found that adult exposure stayed within this limit, there was concern that infants consuming infant formula with TBHQ might exceed the limit. To refine the assessment, EFSA analyzed new data on how much TBHQ is used in foods and how much people actually consume. The results showed that, at maximum allowed levels, toddlers and children could exceed the safe limit. However, in more realistic scenarios, the safe limit was not exceeded for any group.

According to the National Institute of Health, TBHQ is a synthetic antioxidant and antimicrobial used in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries in approved amounts. It does not significantly accumulate in the body but can cause health issues, such as nutritional disorders, chronic diseases, and cancer, when consumed in high doses or over a long time. TBHQ can trigger inflammation, oxidative stress, and cellular damage. Therefore, it is recommended to strictly follow the usage limits in food. There are reports on therapeutic benefits of TBHQ under certain conditions but there is no clear data on how much TBHQ people can consume from all food sources. To minimize risks, it is recommended to use only approved amounts of TBHQ in food products.

Polysorbate 80: According to the Code of Federal Regulations, Polysorbate 80 is one of the many synthetic additives which is allowed to be used in foods. But there are some guidelines like, it must be used in the smallest amount necessary to achieve the desired flavor effect and must comply with good manufacturing practices. It can include one or more substances which have been categorized as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), which must be prior-sanctioned for such use.

FDA also approved Polysorbate 80 to be used as color or coloring adjunct, emulsifier or as emulsifier salt, flavor enhancer, flavoring agent, solvent, stabilizer thickener etc. You can read the detailed reports here.

Conclusion: 

Fact Crescendo found the claim to be false. All the ingredients in Little Debbi Oatmeat Cream Pie meets safety standards and is allowed to be used in foods under prescribed limits. Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie is safe to consume.