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Olive Garden Bread Sticks

Common questions

Is Olive Garden Bread Sticks healthy?

Olive Garden Bread Sticks scores 24/100 on Scout's independent analysis of ingredients, additives, and lab results — one of the lower scores in Scout's catalog. Olive Garden Bread Sticks tested at 53.94 ppb glyphosate in the 2016 GMO Free USA / Detox Project "Eating Out: A Date With Glyphosate" study — a moderate residue for chain-restaurant food.

Has Olive Garden Bread Sticks been lab-tested?

Yes. Olive Garden Bread Sticks carries an independent laboratory panel from Independent third-party laboratory testing covering 1 contaminant (including Glyphosate) — the full results are on this page.

How processed is Olive Garden Bread Sticks?

Olive Garden Bread Sticks is NOVA Group 4: Ultra-Processed Foods.

How does Olive Garden Bread Sticks compare to other restaurant items?

Olive Garden Bread Sticks ranks #12 of 23 restaurant items in Scout's independent rankings. The current top score in the category is In-N-Out Cheeseburger at 35/100.

Which ingredients drive Olive Garden Bread Sticks's score?

In Scout's ingredient-by-ingredient analysis, Beta carotene, Garlic powder, Parsley count in its favor; Enriched wheat flour, Sugar, Soybean oil are flagged as ingredients of concern. The full breakdown, with why each one matters, is in the Key ingredients section on this page.

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Olive Garden Bread Sticks

Olive Garden
Lab tested
24 Poor

At a glance

Beneficial ingredients 3
Harmful ingredients 8
Owned by Darden Restaurants
Category Restaurant Items
Summary

Olive Garden Bread Sticks tested at 53.94 ppb glyphosate in the 2016 GMO Free USA / Detox Project "Eating Out: A Date With Glyphosate" study — a moderate residue for chain-restaurant food. Glyphosate (Roundup's active ingredient) is a WHO IARC Group 2A probable human carcinogen linked to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, endocrine disruption, kidney and liver impairment, and microbiome disturbance. Likely source: conventional wheat desiccated with pre-harvest glyphosate spray, a routine U.S. commodity practice that leaves residue in the kernel.

Contaminants 1

Source: Independent third-party laboratory testing

Glyphosate
53.94 ppb
Moderate

Detected at a moderate level — a meaningful fraction of health-based exposure limits. Worth factoring in if this product is used regularly. Glyphosate is classified by the WHO IARC as a probable human carcinogen (Group 2A) and is linked in observational research to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, endocrine disruption, and microbiome disturbance. Entry route is most likely pre-harvest glyphosate desiccation of the wheat or grain ingredient.

Tested at 53.94 ppb glyphosate residue — moderate for a chain-restaurant prepared food.

Key ingredients 14

Soybean oil
Very Bad

Industrial seed oil; high in linoleic acid (omega-6) and solvent-extracted.

See more about Soybean oil →
Enriched wheat flour
Bad

Refined flour stripped of bran and germ.

See more about Enriched wheat flour →
Sugar
Bad

Added refined sugar.

See more about Sugar →
DATEM
Bad

Diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides; emulsifier with possible trans-fat residue.

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Margarine
Bad

Industrial spread built on refined palm/soybean oils and emulsifiers.

Palm oil
Bad

Highly refined oil; processing-contaminant (3-MCPD/glycidol) concerns.

See more about Palm oil →
Mono and diglycerides
Bad

Emulsifier; may carry trans-fat residue from production.

See more about Mono and diglycerides →
Sodium benzoate
Bad

Preservative; can form benzene with vitamin C.

See more about Sodium benzoate →
Water
Neutral

Pure water.

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Yeast
Neutral

Leavening organism.

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Salt
Neutral

Sodium contributor; tolerable in moderation.

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Beta carotene
Good

Beneficial ingredient — whole-food or functional value in this product class.

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Garlic powder
Good

Whole spice / herb / pepper.

See more about Garlic powder →
Parsley
Good

Whole spice / herb / pepper.

See more about Parsley →

Processing

Group 4 · Ultra-processed

Ultra-Processed Foods

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