POPPY SEED SALAD DRESSINGS

Information updated September 2023

Note: Poppy Seed can appear as one word or two. We use two words — Poppy Seed — but some Brands use ‘Poppyseed’ as one word, so that will be reflected when it is used by a company.

Poppy Seed Dressings can be deliciously sweet. Even homemade versions call for added sweeteners, but brands like Kraft Heinz’s Kraft Poppyseed dressing use the Not In Kitchen™ sweetener >> High Fructose Corn Syrup >> a commercial grade sweetener we don’t have in our kitchens at home. (Source for Kraft ingredients: Kraft Heinz Kraft package on Walmart Web site 9/23)

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP AND WATER ARE THE #1 AND #2 INGREDIENTS IN KRAFT CREAMY POPPYSEED DRESSING. According to the USDA 2023, 92% of U.S. corn acreage is GMO. Excessive consumption of HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup) has been linked to numerous health issues. Concerns are connected to the cumulative effect of consuming these highly processed, intensely sweet ingredients.

Q: When we choose to eat a salad, we are making a healthier choice >> does this salad dressing look like a healthy choice to you?

KRAFT CREAMY POPPYSEED DRESSING CONTAINS 12 INGREDIENTS WHICH ARE NOT IN KITCHEN >> NINE INGREDIENTS WE WOULD NEVER USE TO MAKE POPPY SEED DRESSING FROM SCRATCH IN OUR KITCHENS: Kraft Creamy Poppyseed dressing contains High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Soybean Oil, Modified Food Starch, Dried Sour Cream, Whey, Polysorbate 60, Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum, Beta Carotene, Potassium Sorbate and Calcium Disodium Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid.

KRAFT CREAMY POPPYSEED DRESSING IS BANNED AT WHOLE FOODS MARKET: Kraft Creamy Poppyseed dressing contains three ingredients which Whole Foods Market cites as “Unacceptable in food” >> High Fructose Corn Syrup, Potassium Sorbate and Calcium Disodium Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid. (Source: Amazon Whole Foods Web site 9/23)

SEVERAL BRANDS OF POPPY SEED DRESSINGS CONTAIN WATER AND SWEETENERS AS THE #1 AND #2 INGREDIENTS: Panera, General Mills Annie’s Lite and Kraft Creamy Poppyseed dressing all contain Water and Sweetener as the #1 and #2 ingredients. (Sources: Brand Web sites 9/23)

SOME OTHER BRANDS OF POPPY SEED DRESSINGS ALSO CONTAIN SOYBEAN OIL, SWEETENERS AND WATER IN THEIR TOP INGREDIENTS: Ken’s Poppy Seed dressing has Sugar as the #2 ingredient and Water as the #3 ingredient. (Source: Ken’s Web site 9/23) Marzetti Poppyseed dressing contains Water as the #2 ingredient and Sugar as the #3 ingredient, while Marzetti Simply Strawberry Poppyseed dressing contains Filtered Water as the #1 ingredient with Strawberry Juice Concentrate and Sugar as the #4 and #5 ingredients. (Source: Lancaster Colony Corporation Marzetti Web site 9/23)

BRIANNAS POPPY SEED DRESSING ALSO CONTAINS CANE SUGAR AND WATER IN THE TOP THREE INGREDIENTS: Two tablespoons of Briannas Poppy Seed dressing contains 6 grams of Added Sugar. (Source: Sabormex Briannas Web site 9/23) Briannas contains the Thickening Agent - Xanthan Gum - and Mixed Tocopherols (Vitamin E) which is an FDA-recognized Chemical Preservative. (Source: U.S. FDA 2023)

NEWMAN’S OWN POPPY SEED DRESSING CONTAINS WATER AS THE #2 INGREDIENT: Newman’s Own Poppy Seed Dressing contains two Not In Kitchen ingredients: Water and Xanthan Gum. (Source: Newman’s Own Web site 9/23) Ingredients are always listed in descending order of amount.

LET’S LOOK AT MARIE’S POPPY SEED DRESSING AND THE TYPES OF INGREDIENTS IT CONTAINS: Marie’s #1 and #2 ingredients are Soybean Oil and Sugar. (Source: Ventura Foods Marie’s Web site 9/23) Soybean Oil is a commercial grade, Not In Kitchen oil >> Soybean Oil is not found in homemade recipes. According to the USDA 2023, 94% of U.S. soybean acreage is GMO.

Q: Do you use Soybean Oil at home to make Salad Dressing?

Marie’s Poppy Seed Dressing contains oil from Soybeans, Sugar, Water, Dehydrated Onion and Garlic, plus two Flavor Enhancers >> Torula Yeast and Natural Flavors plural, Xanthan Gum which is a Thickening Agent, and Citric Acid which is an FDA-recognized chemical preservative. (Source: U.S. FDA 2023)

MARIE’S POPPY SEED DRESSING CONTAINS SIX INGREDIENTS WHICH ARE NOT IN KITCHEN: Soybean Oil, Water, Torula Yeast, Natural Flavors, Xanthan Gum and Citric Acid are all Not In Kitchen ingredients found in Marie’s Poppy Seed Dressing.

POPPY SEED DRESSING COMPARISON: Here’s a look at Marie’s Poppy Seed dressing vs. Closest To Homemade® brand Tessemae’s Organic Honey Poppyseed Dressing & Marinade in a glass bottle which is certified Kosher and Gluten-Free. (Source: Tessemae’s Web site 9/23)

Marie’s Poppy Seed dressing contains six ingredients Not In Kitchen while the Tessemae’s Organic Honey Poppyseed contains none.

Marie’s dressing is slightly higher in sugar than the Tessemae’s, and the source of the sweetener is Organic Honey in the Tessemae’s vs. Sugar Beets in Marie’s >> according to the USDA 2023, 99% of all Sugar Beets in the U.S. are GMO.

Discover more food + beverages whose ingredients are Closest To Homemade in 275+ categories. Neither money nor products are ever accepted to appear on the Closest To Homemade list.

Closest To Homemade® Master List

To learn more about GMOs and High Fructose Corn Syrup, consider watching the Ingredient Inspector video on HFCS on the Ingredient Inspector YouTube channel:

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP

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