Millville Butter Syrup
Photo: Open Food Facts contributors (CC BY-SA)

Syrups

Millville Butter Syrup

Score

Bad 8 out of 100 High confidence
  • Ultra-processed
  • High in sugar
  • Contains added sugars
  • Contains emulsifiers studied for gut effects
  • Contains artificial flavors
  • No synthetic dyes

Why it scores 8

Millville Butter Syrup scores 8 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 High fructose corn syrup: 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

Butter Syrup

START100

Ingredients

  • Corn syrup minus 20 points
    Strong An added sugar. [1][2][3]
  • High fructose corn syrup minus 20 points
    Strong An added sugar. [1][2][3][4]
  • 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. [5][6][7][8]
subtotal−50

Processing

  • Ultra-processed (NOVA 4) minus 18 points
    Strong Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. [9]
  • 6 kinds of ultra-processing markers minus 7.5 points
    Emerging Industrial additive classes found: color (added), emulsifier, flavoring, industrial sugar or starch hydrolysate, sequestrant and thickener, stabilizer or gelling agent. [9]
subtotal−25.5

Nutrition per 100 g

  • Sugars 53.3 g / 100 g minus 14 points
    Strong Very high in sugar. [1]
  • Salt 0.4 g / 100 g minus 1 points
    Strong Contains some salt. [10]
  • Energy 333 kcal / 100 g minus 2 points
    Info Energy-dense for its weight. [2]
subtotal−17

TOTAL 8Bad

100 − 92.5 = 7.5 → 8

Can’t score above 79. Contains corn syrup, an ingredient of high concern. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

Can’t score above 79. High in sugars (above the front-of-pack "high" level). [11]


GTIN 04099100264005 · 2025-11-27

score v1.3.0 · kb 2026.10.11

High confidence

Same product, same score. Every time.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy333 kcal
Fat0 g
Carbohydrates86.7 g
Sugars53.3 g
Added sugars53.3 g
Protein0 g
Salt0.4 g

Serving: 2 table spoons (30 ml)

Ingredients

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

CORN SYRUP, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, WATER, CELLULOSE GUM, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, SALT, CARAMEL COLOR, SODIUM BENZOATE, SORBIC ACID (PRESERVATIVES), SODIUM HEXAMETAPHOSPHATE, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES

Allergens and diets

  • Palm-oil-free

Always check the package: recipes change.

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. 21 CFR 184.1866 High fructose corn syrup

    Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), U.S. Office of the Federal Register · Mar 24, 2023 · Law

    “a sweet, nutritive saccharide mixture containing either approximately 42 or 55 percent fructose”

    ecfr.gov

  5. 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

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

    International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO) · IARC

    monographs.iarc.who.int

  7. 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

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

    Public Health Nutrition · April 2019 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  9. 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

  10. 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

  11. 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

  12. 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

  13. 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

  14. 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