Toaster pastries: the dye question and a thin record

No study we found fed toaster pastries to anyone, so the firmest evidence on this page concerns an ingredient some of them may carry. A meta-analysis of dye challenge trials estimated that about 8% of children with ADHD may have symptoms related to synthetic food dyes, with effects one-sixth to one-third the size of ADHD medication. A California review of 25 such trials in children, most randomized and double-blind, found some evidence of behavioral effects in 16 and a significant one in 13. That review did not pool its own numbers. We did not check which toaster pastries contain dyes, so this applies only to colored, frosted kinds that list them. The FDA revoked the food authorization of the dye Red No. 3 in January 2025, on the basis of cancer in male rats, and makers must reformulate by 15 January 2027. Across 39,763 US packaged foods, 19% contained synthetic dyes, and dyed products averaged 33.3 g sugar per 3.5 oz (100 g) against 13.8 g in undyed ones, across all product types.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• Brown-sugar-cinnamon toaster pastries carry 0.66 mg thiamin, 0.6 mg riboflavin and 7.23 mg niacin per 3.5 oz (100 g) in USDA data, the highest of four toaster pastry records. — USDA SR Legacy, four toaster pastry records (FDC 172801 and three fruit varieties) (n = 4 records) Evidence E source
  Per 100 g across 4 records: thiamin 0.365-0.66 mg, riboflavin 0.415-0.6 mg, niacin 5.25-7.23 mg
• Among 39,763 US packaged foods, 19% contained synthetic dyes, and dyed products averaged 33.3 g sugar per 3.5 oz (100 g) against 13.8 g in undyed ones. — all products from the top 25 US manufacturers, final sample n = 39 763 (n = 39763) Evidence C source
  Sugar 33.3 vs 13.8 g/100 g (P < .001); Red No. 40 in 14% of products

What it does to your health

• In 52 adolescents aged 12 to 14, a low-GI breakfast gave a lower glucose response and better-kept accuracy on three attention and memory tests than a high-GI breakfast. — fifty-two adolescents aged 12-14 years (n = 52) Evidence B source
  Accuracy better maintained on low-GI vs high-GI (Stroop P = 0.039, Sternberg P = 0.018, Flanker P = 0.014)
• In 74 school children, low-GI breakfasts predicted better verbal memory and feeling more alert, while high-GI breakfasts raised cortisol and predicted better vigilance. — seventy-four school children (n = 74) Evidence B source
  Low-GI: declarative-verbal memory P = 0.03; high-GI: cortisol up P < 0.01, vigilance P < 0.03
• In 39 children aged 10 to 12, cutting breakfast glycemic load from 33 to 18 did not change cognition, satiety or lunch intake over 3 hours. — 39 children, aged 11.6 years (n = 39) Evidence B source
  No significant change in cognitive function or satiety; lunch 2943 vs 2993 kJ
• Pooled cohorts of over 875,000 people found no link between refined grain intake, including pastries and other indulgent grain foods, and cardiovascular disease (HR 1.08). — 17 prospective cohort studies, more than 875,000 participants (n = 875000) Evidence C source
  CVD HR 1.08 (95% CI 0.99-1.18)

Safety, limits and interactions

• A California review of 25 dye challenge trials in children, mostly randomized and double-blind, found some evidence of behavioral effects in 16 (64%), significant in 13 (52%). — 27 clinical trials of children exposed to synthetic food dyes, 25 challenge studies (n = 25 trials) Evidence A source
  16 of 25 some positive association, 13 of 25 statistically significant
• The meta-analysis behind that review estimated that about 8% of children with ADHD may have symptoms related to synthetic food dyes, with effects one-sixth to one-third of ADHD medication. — children in dye challenge trials (Nigg et al., 2012 meta-analysis) Evidence A source
  Effect sizes about one-sixth to one-third of ADHD medication; 8% of children with ADHD
• According to the FDA, the dye FD&C Red No. 3 lost its food authorization in January 2025, and food makers must reformulate by 15 January 2027. — — Evidence E source
  Regulatory deadline

What people believe that the data does not support

• Observational data in children link higher sweet bakery intake with lower odds of overweight (OR 0.59), a finding the authors themselves call surprising. — children and adolescents, 60 observational records (n = 3 records for sweet bakery) Evidence C source
  OR 0.59 (p < 0.05) for sweet bakery; sugar-sweetened beverages OR 1.20

Who this works differently for

• In US youth, one in three got over 15% of calories from added sugars, and sweet bakery products were among the top five sources for these high consumers. — 5280 US youths (2-19 years), NHANES 2015-2018 (n = 5280) Evidence C source
  34% high consumers; 41% among 12-19-year-olds

The bottom line

Per 100 g, brown-sugar-cinnamon toaster pastries list 0.66 mg thiamin, 0.6 mg riboflavin and 7.23 mg niacin in USDA data, and the three fruit varieties list less. These are single records with no spread across samples. We found no US survey portion weight and no measured glycemic index for the product. That gap matters for the breakfast trials, which tested low and high glycemic breakfasts in general. In 52 adolescents aged 12 to 14, a low-GI breakfast gave a lower glucose response and better accuracy on three attention and memory tests. In 74 school children, low-GI breakfasts predicted better verbal memory, while high-GI breakfasts raised cortisol and predicted better vigilance. In 39 children aged 10 to 12, cutting breakfast glycemic load from 33 to 18 did not change cognition, satiety or lunch intake over 3 hours. Three small short trials, pointing in different directions, and none of them used a toaster pastry. Among 5,280 US youths, 34% got over 15% of calories from added sugars, and sweet bakery products were among the top five sources for them. One pooled analysis in children found higher sweet bakery intake went with lower odds of overweight, OR 0.59, a result its authors called surprising. It rests on 3 mostly cross-sectional records, and children with overweight may simply be steered away from pastries. Pooled cohorts of over 875,000 people found no clear link between refined grain foods, pastries included, and cardiovascular disease, HR 1.08 (95% CI 0.99 to 1.18), with likely confounding noted by the authors. The caution on this page is the dye evidence above, for children and especially children with ADHD. We found no data on allergy, pregnancy or drug interactions for toaster pastries.

Sources

1. tpas-daily-r1-01 · food composition dataset
   Toaster pastries, brown-sugar-cinnamon (FDC 172801, SR Legacy): thiamin 0.66 mg, riboflavin 0.6 mg, niacin 7.23 mg per 100 g; across 4 toaster pastry records: thiamin 0.365-0.66 mg, riboflavin 0.415-0.6 mg, niacin 5.25-7.23 mg
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC 172801 (Toaster pastries, brown-sugar-cinnamon) · checked 2026-09-28
2. tpas-daily-r1-05 · cross-sectional
   Data were sourced from Label Insight (a NielsenIQ company) in 2021 (final sample, n = 39 763). ... Synthetic dyes were present in 19% of products, representing more than $46 billion in consumer purchases in 2020. The most common synthetic dye was Food, Drug and Cosmetic Red No. 40 (14% of products). ... Mean total sugar in products containing synthetic dyes was 141% higher (33.3 g/100 g) compared with products without synthetic dyes (13.8 g/100 g; P < .001).
   J Acad Nutr Diet, 2025 · checked 2026-09-28
3. tpas-daily-r1-07 · randomized crossover trial
   A total of fifty-two adolescents aged 12-14 years were recruited to participate in the study. ... Furthermore, accuracy on all three tests was better maintained on the low-GI trial compared with the high-GI (Stroop: P = 0·039; Sternberg: P = 0·018; Flanker: P = 0·014) and breakfast omission (Stroop: P < 0·001; Sternberg: P = 0·050; Flanker: P = 0·014) trials. Following the low-GI breakfast, participants displayed a lower glycaemic response (P < 0·001) than following the high-GI breakfast
   Br J Nutr, 2012 · checked 2026-09-28
4. tpas-daily-r1-08 · randomized controlled trial
   A total of seventy-four school children were matched and randomly allocated either to the high-GL or low-GL group. ... When baseline mood, glucose and cortisol levels were considered, low-GI meals predicted better declarative-verbal memory (P = 0·03), and high-GI meals better vigilance (P < 0·03)
   Br J Nutr, 2011 · checked 2026-09-28
5. tpas-daily-r1-09 · randomized crossover trial
   A total of 39 children, aged 11.6±0.7 years with body mass index 18.9±3.0 kg/m² (Mean±s.e.) participated in a randomised crossover trial of three isocaloric breakfasts (1.3 MJ): high GL (HGL: 7 g protein, 9 g fat, 50 g carbohydrate, GL 33); medium GL (MGL: 14 g protein, 9 g fat, 45 g carbohydrate, GL 24) and low GL (LGL: 18 g protein, 10 g fat, 38 g carbohydrate, GL 18). ... Breakfast GL did not significantly alter changes in cognitive function or self-reported satiety throughout testing.
   Eur J Clin Nutr, 2012 · checked 2026-09-28
6. tpas-daily-r1-11 · meta-analysis of cohorts
   Meta-analyses of hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) obtained from 17 prospective cohort studies (>875,000 participants) indicated that refined grain intake was not associated with risk of CVD (HR = 1.08, 95% CI, 0.99-1.18, I2 = 70%; 9 cohorts) ... as well as for meta-analyses of studies that included both staple and indulgent grain foods (e.g., cakes, cookies, doughnuts, brownies, muffins, pastries).
   Trends Cardiovasc Med, 2024 · checked 2026-09-28
7. tpas-daily-r1-02 · systematic review of trials
   We identified 27 clinical trials of children exposed to synthetic food dyes in this review, of which 25 were challenge studies. All studies used a cross-over design and most were double blinded and the cross-over design was randomized. Sixteen (64%) out of 25 challenge studies identified some evidence of a positive association, and in 13 (52%) the association was statistically significant.
   Environ Health, 2022 · checked 2026-09-28
8. tpas-daily-r1-03 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   This study identified statistically significant summary associations for findings based on parent reports or on attention tests, with effect sizes about one-sixth to one-third of those seen for improvements from ADHD medications. Nigg et al. estimated that 8% of children with ADHD may have symptoms related to synthetic food dyes.
   Environ Health, 2022 · checked 2026-09-28
9. tpas-daily-r1-04 · regulatory decision
   On January 15, 2025, the FDA issued an order to revoke these authorizations. ... Manufacturers who use FD&C Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs will have until January 15, 2027 or January 18, 2028, respectively, to reformulate their products.
   US FDA, FD&C Red No. 3, 2025 · checked 2026-09-28
10. tpas-daily-r1-10 · meta-analysis of observational studies
    A higher intake of sugar-sweetened beverages increased the odds of overweight/obesity by 1.20 (p < 0.05) (n = 26) ... In contrast, higher intake of whole grain (OR 0.86, p = 0.04 (n:5)) and more surprisingly sweet bakery (OR 0.59, p < 0.05 (n:3)) was associated with a decreased risk of overweight/obesity.
    Nutrients, 2023 · checked 2026-09-28
11. tpas-daily-r1-06 · cross-sectional
    We conducted a cross-sectional study using 2015−2018 NHANES data among 5280 US youths (2−19 years). ... Overall, 34% of US youths were classified as high consumers of added sugars. ... Top five sources of added sugars among high consumers on a given day were sweetened beverages, sweet bakery products, candy, other desserts, and ready-to-eat cereals.
    Nutrients, 2023 · checked 2026-09-28