Torani is often regarded as the most flavourful syrup on the planet.
But there is a price to pay for that flavor, and that cost is in our health.
Torani syrups are extremely unhealthy, earning it a 1 leaf rating at Is It Clean, the lowest score possible.
Let’s take it’s Caramel flavor for example:
The ingredients are Pure cane sugar, water, natural flavors, citric acid, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate (to preserve freshness), caramel color.
The only health promoting ingredient on that list is water. The rest are harmful to the body.
- Sodium Benzoate for example can break down into benzene, a known carcinogen.
- Natural flavors can lead to a host of problems for the body AND can be highly addictive.
- Caramel Color manufacturing can lead to the product of a carcinogen, methylimidazole, that is known to cause cancer.
- Potassium Sorbate, in recent studies, has been shown to be a genotoxic and mutagenic compound to human blood cells, meaning it can lead to DNA damage and changes that can cause diseases and certain cancers.
- Citric Acid is typically manufactured for commercial applications through fermentation using the fungus Aspergillus niger (a type of black mold and known allergen) and molasses. Since it was approved before 1958, it hasn’t been extensively evaluated for safety. Pfizer has been producing citric acid since 1919.
The sugar free syrups are even worse. Torani typically uses sucralose and acesulfame potassium as their artificial sweeteners. Studies have shown that Acesulfame potassium (Ace-K) can have major negative effects on the body’s metabolism and cognition. Studies have shown that Sucralose can decrease insulin sensitivity in the body and can potentially produce toxic chemicals in the body.
We suggest staying away from Torani syrups and instead looking for coffee shops that use homemade syrups or simply the extract of the flavor like vanilla extract and caramel extract. If neither of those are options, it’s better to go without the sweeteners for your coffee drinks. You may also ask for raw honey as a substitute for the syrups.
Every time we choose not to buy something that has harmful ingredients, we are sending a message to the food industry that we won’t accept these ingredients anymore.
We vote with our purchase, and we can change the food industry one purchase at a time!
