Log Cabin Original Syrup
Photo: Open Food Facts contributors (CC BY-SA)

Corn syrups

Log Cabin Original Syrup

710 mL

Score

Bad 13 out of 100 High confidence
  • Ultra-processed
  • High in sugar
  • Contains added sugars
  • Contains emulsifiers studied for gut effects
  • No synthetic dyes

Why it scores 13

Log Cabin Original Syrup scores 13 out of 100 (Bad) under GoodSwap’s published rules. What moved the score most:

  1. minus 20 points Corn syrup: An added sugar. Strong
  2. minus 20 points Sugar: An added sugar. Strong
  3. minus 18 points Ultra-processed (NOVA 4): Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. Strong

Every line of the math is on The Receipt below, with its evidence tier and sources.

The Receipt

Original Syrup

START100

Ingredients

  • Corn syrup minus 20 points
    Strong An added sugar. [1][2][3]
  • Sugar minus 20 points
    Strong An added sugar. [1][2][3]
  • Caramel color minus 10 points
    Regulatory The FDA says classes III and IV, which can contain 4-MEI, are the most commonly used food color additives by volume. [4][5][6][7]
subtotal−50

Processing

  • Ultra-processed (NOVA 4) minus 18 points
    Strong Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. [8]
  • 5 kinds of ultra-processing markers minus 6 points
    Emerging Industrial additive classes found: color (added), emulsifier, flavoring, industrial sugar or starch hydrolysate and sequestrant. [8]
subtotal−24

Nutrition per 100 g

  • Sugars 25.3 g / 100 g minus 11 points
    Strong Very high in sugar. [1]
  • Salt 0.4 g / 100 g minus 1 points
    Strong Contains some salt. [9]
  • Energy 278 kcal / 100 g minus 1 points
    Info Energy-dense for its weight. [2]
subtotal−13

TOTAL 13Bad

100 − 87 = 13

Can’t score above 79. Contains corn syrup, an ingredient of high concern. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

Can’t score above 79. High in sugars (above the front-of-pack "high" level). [10]


GTIN 00043000000373 · 2026-08-02

score v1.3.0 · kb 2026.10.11

High confidence

Same product, same score. Every time.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy278 kcal
Fat0 g
Saturated fat0 g
Trans fat0 g
Carbohydrates68.2 g
Sugars25.3 g
Added sugars25.3 g
Fiber0 g
Protein0 g
Salt0.4 g

Serving: 1 serving (30 g)

Ingredients

High Moderate Not recognized Tap an ingredient for its evidence and rules.
Label text, as published

Corn Syrup, Water, Sugar. Contains 2% or less of: Salt, Natural Flavor, Sodium Benzoate and Sorbic Acid (Preservatives), Caramel Color, Phosphoric Acid, Mono- and Diglycerides, Sodium Hexametaphosphate.

Allergens and diets

  • Palm-oil-free

Always check the package: recipes change.

Packaging

Pet 1 polyethylene terephthalate

Context only: no points in v1.

Sources

  1. Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children

    World Health Organization · Mar 4, 2015 · Agency assessment

    “In both adults and children, WHO recommends reducing the intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake”

    who.int

  2. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030

    U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture · January 2026 · Regulator

    “Limit foods and beverages that include artificial flavors, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives, and low-calorie non-nutritive sweeteners.”

    cdn.realfood.gov

  3. Added and free sugars should be as low as possible

    European Food Safety Authority · Feb 28, 2022 · Agency assessment

    “Sugar consumption is a known cause of dental caries.”

    efsa.europa.eu

  4. Questions & Answers About 4-MEI

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration · Mar 27, 2020 · Regulator

    “Based on current science, the FDA has no reason to believe that there are any immediate or short-term health risks presented by 4-MEI at the levels expected in food.”

    fda.gov

  5. Agents Classified by the IARC Monographs, Volumes 1–142 (List of Classifications)

    International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO) · IARC

    monographs.iarc.who.int

  6. Proposition 65 List of Chemicals Known to the State to Cause Cancer or Reproductive Toxicity

    California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) · Jul 31, 2026 · Law

    “The date refers to the initial appearance of the chemical on the list.”

    oehha.ca.gov

  7. Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them

    Public Health Nutrition · April 2019 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  8. Sodium reduction (fact sheet)

    World Health Organization · May 11, 2026 · Agency assessment

    “For adults, WHO recommends less than 2000 mg/day of sodium (equivalent to less than 5 g/day salt), or just under a teaspoon.”

    who.int

  9. Guide to creating a front of pack (FoP) nutrition label for pre-packed products sold through retail outlets

    Department of Health and Social Care / Food Standards Agency (GOV.UK) · Nov 8, 2016 · Regulator

    “Table 3: Criteria for drinks (per 100ml)”

    assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

  10. Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses

    BMJ · Feb 28, 2024 · Peer-reviewed

    “Greater exposure to ultra-processed food was associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, especially cardiometabolic, common mental disorder, and mortality outcomes.”

    doi.org

  11. Dietary emulsifiers impact the mouse gut microbiota promoting colitis and metabolic syndrome

    Nature · Mar 5, 2015 · Peer-reviewed

    “carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate-80, induced low-grade inflammation and obesity/metabolic syndrome in wild-type hosts and promoted robust colitis in mice predisposed to this disorder.”

    doi.org

  12. Randomized Controlled-Feeding Study of Dietary Emulsifier Carboxymethylcellulose Reveals Detrimental Impacts on the Gut Microbiota and Metabolome

    Gastroenterology · March 2022 · Peer-reviewed

    “Relative to control subjects, CMC consumption modestly increased postprandial abdominal discomfort and perturbed gut microbiota composition in a way that reduced its diversity.”

    doi.org

  13. Food additive emulsifiers and risk of cardiovascular disease in the NutriNet-Santé cohort: prospective cohort study

    BMJ · Sep 6, 2023 · Peer-reviewed

    “This study found positive associations between risk of CVD and intake of five individual and two groups of food additive emulsifiers widely used in industrial foods.”

    doi.org