TSP (Trisodium Phosphate) In Cereal: Is There Paint Thinner In Your Corn Flakes?
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Have you heard that there's TSP (aka paint thinner) in your cereal? It's not a pleasant thought, is it? No, it wasn't for me when I first saw a video online with a man showing TSP on the label of a popular cereal brand. As if we didn't have enough to worry about.
As it turns out TSP (Trisodium phosphate) is in many products. The question is: should you be worried or is it no big deal?
Trisodium Phosphate.
What's that, you ask?
One day, a friend tagged me in a Facebook video that REALLY caught my attention.
The video was of a guy walking through the store talking about how there is paint thinner in Cereal!
Yes, he meant it. He was pointing to the ingredients list on a cereal box and showing where it listed “TSP” or “Trisodium Phosphate” as an ingredient, and then he walked over to another section of the store and showed how TSP is paint thinner.
YIKES! Paint thinner in cereal?
It sounds like one of those crazy alarmist conspiracy stories about how the government and big corporations are out to kill us by gradually poisoning us to death, doesn't it?
Well, I did the research, and here's what I found out.
I Love (as in LOVE) Breakfast Cereal
Make that “loved.”
First of all, let me tell you that I used to LOVE breakfast cereal.
I was so broke when I was in college. I literally lived off of almost no money and always shopped the bargain produce shelves and made do with whatever I could get for cheap. Whenever I came home on break, it was amazing being able to go into the kitchen and eat all kinds of things I couldn't afford when I was in school.
And a big part of that was cereal!
I would run to the kitchen and indulge in whatever was there, but I ALWAYS (much to my mother's chagrin) made a beeline for the breakfast cereal.
And I ate a lot of it.
But since then, times have changed. I've had to revamp my diet (and my family's diet too) due to issues with candida and other gut health issues, and so now breakfast cereal isn't in our home any longer–with very few exceptions.
I guess I really do still LOVE breakfast cereal, but it doesn't love me back.
Even if you don't eat breakfast cereal, and have moved on to healthier choices like this Cream of Rice Cereal or Buckwheat Granola…or even something like this Dairy-free Quiche), or if you are eating more natural versions, this is about more than just breakfast cereal.
Read on.
Paint Thinner / Trisodium Phosphate in Cereal
TSP is Trisodium Phosphate.
And you can find it in some breakfast cereals.
It's something that the FDA has approved to be used in your food.
Because you might just be getting more than a little. And who wants a lot of Trisodium Phosphate in their cereal? Not this girl. No, thank you.
What is TSP / Trisodium Phosphate?
Is TSP paint thinner?
Well contrary to what the guy in the grocery store in the video that I saw said, it's not, but it is an active ingredient in paint thinner.
Trisodium phosphate (TSP) is an industrial cleaning product. It's used as a degreasing agent, mildew remover, and lead abating agent and is also used to clean interior and exterior walls before painting. According to Snopes (I write about them later, its pH is”comparable to bleach”.
YUCK.
Maybe I should retitle this post “Is There BLEACH in Your CEREAL?!”
Because of its alkalinizing cleaning properties, TSP was used in dishwashing soap and laundry detergent until it was phased out in 2011 after the EPA found it was harmful to the environment. The Clean Water Act, published by the EPA, lists TSP as a “Hazardous Substance” while the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends to “Avoid All Contact.” (note the link that I had for this information has been removed from the CDC's site.) The CDC lists these TSP ingestion symptoms: abdominal pain, burning sensation, shock, or collapse.
Doesn't sound too good.
Why is there Trisodium Phosphate in Food?
TSP is most commonly used to reduce the acidic nature of foods, especially breakfast cereals, as it modifies cereal color and aids in the cereal’s flow through the extruder. Other uses are:
- Added to meat to retain moisture during storage and cooking.
- Acts as a leavening agent to “fluff up” foods like cakes, bread and baked goods.
- Added to cheese to help keep its shape and melting properties.
TSP is also used as an antimicrobial cleaner for washing produce. Poultry is dipped in a TSP solution to potentially kill bacteria.
Basically, TSP gives food a nice texture so it can withstand sitting on the grocery store shelf for months until you pick it up and take it home.
That's one reason to avoid food that can sit on the shelf for a long time and still look great. Food shouldn't be able to do that, you know?
Should You Avoid Trisodium Phosphate in Food?
Studies have shown that ingesting high levels of phosphate (the major mineral in TSP) can cause:
- kidney damage
- soft tissue calcification and
- removal of calcium from bones.
- Chronic high levels of phosphate intake can result in osteopenia and ultimately osteoporosis.
- TSP also irritates the stomach and intestinal lining and reduces lactic acid in muscles.
I, for one, do not want kidney damage, soft tissue calcification, removal of calcium from my bones (hello osteoporosis?!?!?), or irritated stomach and intestinal lining.
But how much is too much?
What Foods Commonly Contain TSP?
Breakfast cereals seem to be the products that most commonly contain TSP. However, you may also see Sodium Phosphate, Disodium Phosphate, or Tripotassium Phosphate on the label instead of just the typical Trisodium Phosphate.
These also can cause the same health problems as TSP so you really need to keep your eyes open.
So many products might contain TSP. Here's a list of common offenders.
- Breakfast Cereals*
- Lunchmeat
- Ham
- Other processed meats
- Processed cheese
- Cheese sauces
- Rice syrup
- Canned soups
- Cake mixes
- Bread
- Pizza dough
- Other baked goods
- Toothpaste
- Mouthwash
- Hair coloring and bleaching products
* Some cereals have either trisodium or tripotassium phosphate (TPP). TPP is just as harmful as TSP.
Note: the items on these lists are ALL processed foods. So if you are eating a whole foods diet, then you shouldn't be ingesting that much paint thinner.
HOWEVER, note that there are some personal care products on the list as well.
It's SO important to not only think about what you are eating, but also what you are putting on your body.
These posts on Heavy Metals in Cosmetics and Haircare Ingredients to Avoid and the Dangers of Fragrances show that there is way more than just TSP and TPP to worry about when it comes to toxins in your personal care products.
How Much TSP is Safe In Food?
There is a lot of conflicting information about what a “safe” level of TSP is in food. Some say that the FDA says that 70 mg of TSP is the most TSP that one should ingest per day.
Then other articles state that the FDA has approved 70 mg/kg of body weight as the maximum tolerable limit of TSP that a person should ingest per day. (For a 150 lb person, this translates to 4,772 mg/day).
So that's a lot of TSP.
The precise amount of TSP in cereal isn’t known, but the FDA does say that it's safe enough for manufacturers to decide on their own.
I think it's up to you. Personally would prefer to just not eat this. That doesn't mean that I think it's really dangerous, but I prefer to eat as little additives as possible.
With all of the sources of Trisodium Phosphate in food, if you are eating a lot of processed food and using conventional personal care products, you have no idea if you’re ingesting more than the maximum tolerable limit. So just to be safe, you might want to stay away from all foods containing TSP.
Toxicity Burden
It's important to remember that the toxic burden on our bodies isn't just about one ingredient.
When thinking about the toxic load that these products have on our bodies, it's important to think about the effects that they have combined with each other. In other words, you are not JUST eating TSP; you are eating TSP, BHT, and arsenic, while spraying artificial fragrance on your body and washing your clothes in it as well.
It all adds up to a toxic burden that can cause all kinds of health problems.
Snopes' Take on Trisodium Phosphate in Cereal
Likely you are familiar with Snopes. Snopes writes posts on all kinds of things from political issues, historical events, and even, yes–paint thinner in cereal.
If you're looking on the internet to see if Trisodium Phosphate in Breakfast Cereal is a big deal or not, you will find that Snopes says–No. Trisodium Phosphate in Breakfast Cereal is just no biggie.
They acknowledge that TSP is used as a paint thinner but they claim that just because something is used for something that seems caustic like thinning paint, doesn't mean it's toxic. They then compare TSP to sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), stating that if you're OK eating baking soda (and most of us are), then you should be OK eating TSP.
One problem with this thinking is that baking soda and TSP are not the same thing and one of them is more dangerous than the other. (sources: 1, 2)
Snopes does say that TSP's pH is like bleach. So just because they rank the paint thinner claim as false (and it very well might be), that doesn't mean that I want this in my cereal.
Update on Health Concerns about Trisodium Phosphate in Foods
Since the publication of this post, some readers have commented about how nonsensical my concerns were, even though I did state that I wasn't that concerned about the toxicity of this product. However, this has pushed me to do more research and as such, I am now more concerned than ever about this additive.
Kidney Health and Trisodium Phosphate
If you have normal kidneys, they can remove excess phosphorous from your body. However, if you have compromised kidney health, then you should consider monitoring and restricting the amount of phosphates in your diet, and that would include trisodium phosphate.
Extra phosphorus can pull calcium out of your bones and consequently, high phosphorus and calcium levels can lead to dangerous calcium deposits in your body, including in your blood vessels, lungs, eyes, and heart. (source)
Bone Health and Trisodium Phosphate
As noted above, too much phosphorous in your diet can lead to calcium being leached out of your bones. So it would follow that this could be a huge health problem. How much is too much is the problem and it also depends on kidney health for the reasons described above. You can read more about trisodium phosphate and bone health concerns here.
Conclusion
Even if we all agree that TSP is FINE (and I'm not so sure that it is), most cereals and processed foods are still NOT fine in my book.
Most breakfast cereals are full of:
sugar
white flour of some sort
preservatives (some even have that uber toxic, cancer-causing BHA and BHT in them. Just no thanks.)
And it's all extruded at very high pressure to make cute shapes ala Lucky Charms, Froot Loops, Cocoa Puffs, etc. Fun to eat, but there is damage done to the grains at those high temperatures and pressures so that they cause lots of inflammation in you when you eat them.
Yes, Cheerios (or, fill in the blank with any other traditional breakfast cereal) are JUNK!
And processed foods are basically almost all in the same camp. That doesn't mean we don't occasionally enjoy some organic crackers or chips, etc., but that is for sure the exception and not the rule.
While this TSP in cereal | TSP in food maybe isn't a BIG issue, it's an issue.
Since I wasn't able to find real documentation anywhere about how much Trisodium Phosphate in food is really supposed to be OK to ingest, I think it might be best to avoid it.
I'd love to hear what you think about it!
Did you know that there was Trisodium Phosphate in cereal?
What do you think about that?
Photo Credit: dcwcreations/Depositphotos.
So interesting!!
Thanks for reading :)!
Good grief!! Another awful “FDA Approved” ingredient added to our already failing food system. Most things on the shelves today are not even edible! It’s quite discouraging when buying this type of stuff. We typically buy from local farmers, drink raw milk and buy only organic meat and poultry, but of course once inawhile the kiddos just want junk cereal. Now at least I have a better excuse when saying no, other than, “it’s unhealthy|.. LOL
I don’t trust the FDA one bit! This further backs my reasonings. I’m with ya, no thanks is right!! TSP is not going near our lips!! Back to checking labels again!
Thanks! Yes you do have one more reason. Thanks for reading and for taking the time to comment :)!
No, I didn’t know ingredients for paint thinner were in cerial. I am on my way to eating healthier, that is to say with less and less processed products. I want to lose weight not gain it.
I think you summed it up with “The toxic burden on our bodies isn’t done with one ingredient”. The FDA may say BHT, BHT, TSP is safe In the Small amount of the hot dog/cereal/lunch meat, etc that you’re eating, But again if you’re having a diet filled with those BHA, BHT, TSP ingredients daily you ARE setting yourself up for an unhealthy lifestyle. We have choices, I choose to feed myself and my family more whole foods with an occasional ‘splurge’ .
Thank you so much, Tonya. This applies to our personal and home care too!!
“Most breakfast cereals are full of:
sugar
white flour of some sort
preservatives (some even have that uber toxic, cancer-causing BHA and BHT in them. Just no thanks.)”
You forgot one…GMO (genetically modified organism)….About 95% of corn crops in America are GMO, and a LOT of wheat is GMO (don’t know the percentage right at the moment), but most everything you eat, is either GMO, chemicalized, or both.
Speaking of corn, it’s fed to all factory farmed animals…along with the antibiotic shots (because they live in filth), and hormone shots (to make them grow fatter, faster). So anytime you eat ANY diary, or ANY meat, your getting those into your body….I’d prefer not to, so I eat ALL organic. Some people say, you can’t trust organics either. But they might be a LITTLE right, but if you sign up for organic websites, that are honest, they will tell you everything that’s going on with organics, and the organic companies. All it takes is to read, study, and pay attention, and LEARN!
I know that organics are not all perfect…the wind has taken Monsatan’s poisons, and spread them around, but it’s just nice to know, that at least, I’m not ALL chemicalized and GMO’d! I’m sure I’ve got LESS poisons in my body, than the average grocery shopper, who doesn’t care about their health, or what’s being put in their food! And to know that I can find most anything and everything in organic, has me being a HAPPY and HEALTHY puppy! I just wish everyone in the world could be as happy and healthy, and knowledgeable as me!
You are totally right. Thank you! We have moved to almost 100% organic. There are a lot of people lying out there, though. Even some USDA certified products aren’t what they seem to be :(.
please read this . ( link to Snopes’ post on tsp deleted by blog owner) This is only one place I found that this claim is most likely false.
I believe that this scary idea is misconstrued. There are so many fear inducing things printed and shared on social media. Whenever I read about one I try to do some research.
This is the last paragraph of the article: Because representing a phosphate salt as a paint thinner is a rhetorical device used to sow scientifically uninformed fears about a commonly used food additive without any concern for scale or mechanism, and because the compound itself presents no reasonable risk to humans, we rank this claim as false
Hi there.
Sorry but I removed the link to Snopes b/c I don’t want to give them any traffic b/c their post is basically nonsensical for most of its content.
There are other posts online saying that the TSP / Paint Thinner issue is not accurate.
Anyhow, I addressed Snopes’ claims in the post–perhaps you missed it? I clarified in my post that TSP isn’t a paint thinner, but it’s an ingredient in it. Still, I don’t want to eat it.
They also compare it to bleach :)????
Let me know what you think–thanks!
Dear Adrienne, I’m not the commenter that you responded to, but I’m going to put my oar in here. 😉 My first thought when I saw the title in my In box was, “TSP is a cleaning chemical, not paint thinner!” [And no I don’t want cleaning chemicals in my food either!] Yes, you did say at one point that TSP isn’t paint thinner, but that it IS an ingredient in paint thinner (I can’t find any info about paint thinner ingredients on line so can’t check that). But you DO continue to say throughout your article that boxed cereals contain paint thinner and that you don’t want to eat paint thinner. Maybe it’s a little quibble, but once you discovered that TSP isn’t paint thinner, don’t you think it would have been more honest, and less sensational, to take out all references to it being a paint thinner? (I know the title got people reading, but it wasn’t necessary in the rest of the post after you’d debunked it.) We haven’t eaten boxed cereal in years [I know it’s not healthy as it’s so processed], but stirring up all the hype doesn’t help convince those who really need to be convinced to eat more healthily, and it tends to alienate other folks; folks we need to persuade (as winsomely as possible) to a more logical worldview. I hope you’re reading this in the spirit in which it is intended (an older mom/grandma trying to gently help). In His grace, Mrs. O
Hi there, Mrs. O. Good catch! I must have forgotten to go back and edit that part of the post. I’m not perfect!! And right now I’m recovering from the flu so I’m really not on my game right now. Wish I had that excuse for when I hit “publish” on the post! Thanks for reading and for mentioning this! So sorry! You win the prize for the most detailed reading of the post — it should be fixed now!
If you thought there was just a “ little bit” of gasoline in your coffee , bet is , you wouldn’t drink it.
No, I most likely wouldn’t. Have you heard that there is?
Thanks for a great post with plenty of information to make our own decision. I have long not wanted my family to eat cold cereal (for many reasons including what you mentioned) but find myself out-voted. 🙁 This is my solution: we have it on vacation. It lightens my load in food prep and it is something else to look forward to on a trip which makes the kiddos happy. Also, we do not have many vacations so that really limits their exposure which makes me happy! Thanks again for putting together this post!
You are so welcome. You think like we do. We never buy it but this past Christmas I bought some special treats for the family–one for almost every day leading up to Christmas. I should post some photos even though it’s late now. One day it was Annie’s Organic Chocolate Bunny Cereal. Nice job, Mom and great minds, eh 🙂 Thanks for the kind words!!
Guess you haven’t heard the bad news? Annies sold their soul …
Food brand update: Annie’s sells out to General Mills while Barbara’s gets its cereals Non-GMO Project Verified
https://www.naturalnews.com/046883_Annies_General_Mills_Barbaras.html
“General Mills, one of the most deceptive food companies in the world and a processed food giant that funds efforts to block GMO labeling transparency, is reportedly purchasing Annie’s for $820 million.”
General Mills Buys Annie’s for $820M
https://www.organicconsumers.org/news/general-mills-buys-annies-820m
I don’t buy that brand anymore, myself.
Hi there. I think I did hear that. I guess I shouldn’t have given in. I’m not perfect. I have never bought anything else of theirs ever, I don’t think. We rarely ever buy anything processed. Thankfully. Thanks for the comment :).
Well that’s nasty!! Ick! And I like that you tackled the Snopes issue too!! I don’t eat cereal (I don’t do dairy and thus no cereal)….but this helps me not want to even more. 🙂
I know – ick. Yes, Snopes isn’t too good at evaluating things sometimes / often. They are very frustrating. I actually don’t eat dairy either but we LOVE coconut milk on cereal, however we don’t have it in our house much b/c we eat too much of it and well, it’s just not that healthy, even WITHOUT the TSP!
Folks, TriSodiumPhosphate (TSP) is NOT paint thinner. It is a cleaning product in it’s strongest commercial form but NOT used to thin paint. I worked seven years in the paint industry so I am very familiar with TSP. Please stop the scare tactics.
Conclusion from Snopes – https://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/tsp.asp – I suggest you read the entire article.
Because representing a phosphate salt as a paint thinner is a rhetorical device used to sow scientifically uninformed fears about a commonly used food additive without any concern for scale or mechanism, and because the compound itself presents no reasonable risk to humans, we rank this claim as false.
Hello Nicholas.
First of all, thanks for reading. I did read that article in its entirety. I cited it in the post–perhaps you missed that?
There are several things to point out. I think I wrote a balanced post about this. I can go back and address the difference b/t Paint Thinner and a product that cleans walls prior to painting them, but neither sounds very appealing to me. In fact, the Snopes article says:
Yuck. So maybe I should call the article — Is the BLEACH in Your Cereal? Instead. In fact, I’m going to add that to the post.
As for it being scientifically uninformed, it is clear that:
So here is where I am concerned. The precise amount of TSP in cereal (or foods) isn’t known, but the FDA “thinks” it’s safe enough for manufacturers to decide on their own. This is the same FDA that shuts down probiotic companies b/c they claim to have a health benefit and that thinks arsenic in chicken is OK.
Do you see my concern? It doesn’t sound that scientifically based if they don’t even know what they are talking about. What is a reasonable risk if you can’t even find any info about how much is in there or how much is safe? What do you think?
I don’t care personally if Snopes ranks it as false. I think there is bad information in their article and holes in their logic.
Hi again, Nicholas. I just edited the post with more information so thanks for the impetus to do so. I did notice that I had already clarified in the post that TSP is a cleaning agent but it’s more clear now.
I would be interested in your thoughts.
Thanks for responding Adrienne, and clarifying your concern.
My initial concern was the clickbait, ‘sky is falling in’ lead in. I would argue that sugar is a far greater concern than TSP. Singling out TSP is a red herring. Another way to look at this is most municipal water contains chlorine which is used to disinfect and make water safer to drink. However, in large quantities chlorine is toxic. Many things we consume are safe in tiny amounts and actually serve a useful function but in large quantities will kill you.
My point is I would have less of a problem had the blog title been: Sugar in cereal {Is it a danger?}. You bet it is. Far more so than TSP.
Just know I am not trying to be argumentative.
Thanks for listening.
Hi Nicholas – thanks for the comment. Well, I was asking the question b/c this is the question that I was asking myself when I saw the video on FB. It was easy to freak out so I did reading and found out what I wrote….that it is bad but not as bad as I thought….maybe.
It’s not a red herring for me. I think that these thing are all adding up to problems and shouldn’t be in our food and little by little as we remove them we do better. Yes sugar is a HUGE problem but that doesn’t mean I won’t write about other things that are lesser issues. Does that make sense? We are like buckets and eventually we can’t handle any more.
I avoid chlorine and filter it out of our whole house. So I don’t think it’s safe in a small amt–I think it serves its purpose and has to be removed.
I appreciate your perspective but I wasn’t trying to post click bait, really. I wanted people to read it to get the well informed conclusion (if I may say that I think I reached one). Otherwise I would have had to write something like — “The TSP in Your Cereal Isn’t a Big Deal” or “TSP in Cereal – the Truth” which really is the same thing, right? Except that people don’t know what TSP is. Hmmmm…not sure I can win here….
Hope to see you around again. Feel free to call me out if you think I should be. I try to be honest and it’s hard…you want people to read w/o being over the top sensationalist.
Thanks!!!!
Hi Adrienne.
I really appreciate your taking the time to explain your perspective. We are not that far apart. The problem is a large percentage of readers will not read the whole blog (I’m guilty, too) and they accept the blog’s title as fact. That’s why the Enquirer and other tabloids get readership. They use a ‘shock’ headline.
I find it helpful when writing for others to use bullets, where possible, or paragraph headings above a short explanatory paragraph. In my experience, most people do not like to read long paragraphs. They want instant gratification.
I’m not trying to be condescending or talk down to you just passing along what has helped me in my career (I am a retired old coot).
I enjoy your posts but the TSP/paint thinner pushed a button (as you can tell).
I know you are trying to be helpful to your readers and I applaud you for that. Follow your passion.
Ok, I’m starting to ramble. Be well, Adrienne…Peace!
Nicholas
Hi again, Nicholas. Thanks again for the helpful interaction.
I agree that that can be a big problem. I am really not sure what I should have put as the title otherwise but ugh…it’s tough.
I did think that I put in quite a few headlines. If you think there should be more–suggest away. I’m happy to change things around. I’m married to an English Prof and so I’m familiar with criticism about my writing (though I do spell and work out pronunciation much better than he does–odd, huh?). Our oldest finds errors in my writing all the time as well. I am just doing too much multi-tasking and spend less time than I should on editing.
Too much passion, I think….and too little attention to some details.
If I may ask, we actually need a painter for our house asap….were you a painter, and if so, are there any questions I should ask? We have some areas that aren’t doing so well on the outside of the house and I want to make sure that they are taken care of properly.
Thanks again – Adrienne
….by this logic, we should also avoid ingesting sodium bicarbonate.
Hi Kelley. Actually no – did you see the safety comparisons of the 2 in the post? I addressed that. Take a look and let me know what you think.
Exactly! Everyone disagreeing with you is basically making false equivalences.
Baking soda is safer. We know how much is too much.
TSP is more dangerous and we don’t know how much is too much.
Some forms of TSP might be safe, but the safest option would be to avoid it altogether.
Kelly, your wrong.