Healthy Food Guideby KarbCoach

Healthy Food Guide by KarbCoach

Pillsbury Butter Tastin' Flavor Flaky Layers Biscuits: Food Integrity analysis

Updated 2026-10-17 · Pillsbury

Quick answer

Lower integrity

Pillsbury butter tastin' flavor flaky layers biscuits received a Food Integrity Score of 38 out of 100 (lower integrity). This reflects ultra-processed and high additive load. This reads more like a food-engineering project than a simple recipe, with flour, oils, emulsifiers, gum, preservatives, and artificial flavor all doing behind-the-scenes work. Butter appears but sits far down the list behind refined fats and additives. Treat it as an occasional convenience item rather than an everyday staple. Main considerations include hydrogenated palm oil and refined oil blends, tbhq and multiple emulsifiers/gums, and vague natural and artificial flavor system. Simpler options: Choose biscuits made with butter and a short ingredient list; bake simple biscuits at home with flour, butter, milk, baking powder, and salt.

Food Integrity Score 38/100

What stood out on the label?

  • Ultra-processed
  • High additive load
  • Transparency: Medium

What to watch?

  • Hydrogenated palm oil and refined oil blends
  • TBHQ and multiple emulsifiers/gums
  • Vague natural and artificial flavor system

Simpler options to consider

  • Choose biscuits made with butter and a short ingredient list
  • Bake simple biscuits at home with flour, butter, milk, baking powder, and salt

You are viewing ingredients and processing. Switch to Longevity for nutrition and longer-term eating pattern fit.

Source data, GTIN, and Healthy Food Guide analysis details

Product facts

Product
Pillsbury Butter Tastin' Flavor Flaky Layers Biscuits
Category
Bakery & Bread (source: Crusts & Dough)
GTIN / UPC
00000001809909
Serving size
34 g (1 biscuit)
Source data — ingredients
Ingredient list from product label data (see Sources)
Healthy Food Guide analysis
Independent Longevity and Food Integrity scorecards. See methodology under Sources.
Data last verified

Food Integrity results

Butter Tastin' Flavor Flaky Layers Biscuits

Pillsbury

Lower integrity

Warning Signs

Hydrogenated palm oil, soybean and palm oil, and TBHQ make this a heavily formulated biscuit.

Consider This

Mono and diglycerides, xanthan gum, artificial flavor, and dextrose are typical factory-formulated texture and flavor helpers.

Good Substitutes

Try a simple homemade biscuit with flour, butter, milk, baking powder, and salt for a recognizable ingredient list.

Overall Assessment

Lower integrity

This reads more like a food-engineering project than a simple recipe, with flour, oils, emulsifiers, gum, preservatives, and artificial flavor all doing behind-the-scenes work. Butter appears but sits far down the list behind refined fats and additives. Treat it as an occasional convenience item rather than an everyday staple.

Key Highlights

What stood out

  • Hydrogenated palm oil and refined oil blends
  • TBHQ and multiple emulsifiers/gums
  • Vague natural and artificial flavor system

Family Watchlist

Ingredients some users may personally want to know about.

  • Hydrogenated palm oil — Hydrogenated oil used for texture and shelf stability.
  • Natural and artificial flavor — Vague flavor system with artificial components.
  • Preservatives (TBHQ, citric acid) — Synthetic preservative used for shelf life.
  • Mono and diglycerides — Emulsifier used for dough texture.
  • Xanthan gum — Gum used for texture stability.

Highest concern ingredients

  • Hydrogenated palm oil (8/10) — Hydrogenated fat built for shelf stability.
  • Preservatives (TBHQ, citric acid) (7/10) — Synthetic preservative used for shelf life.
  • Natural and artificial flavor (7/10) — Vague flavor system with artificial inputs.

Better choice tips

  • Choose biscuits made with butter and a short ingredient list.
  • Bake simple biscuits at home with flour, butter, milk, baking powder, and salt.

Ingredients

Ingredient list

ENRICHED FLOUR BLEACHED (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, FERROUS SULFATE, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), WATER, SOYBEAN AND PALM OIL, DEXTROSE, BAKING POWDER (SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, BAKING SODA). CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: HYDROGENATED PALM OIL, SUGAR, FRACTIONATED PALM OIL, SALT, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, VITAL WHEAT GLUTEN, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, XANTHAN GUM, PRESERVATIVES (TBHQ, CITRIC ACID), BUTTER, ANNATTO EXTRACT AND BETA CAROTENE (FOR COLOR), NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR.

Formulations can vary — check the package label for the final word.

Highest-concern ingredients first. Expand an item for notes.

  1. Hydrogenated palm oilConcern 8/10 — Higher concernHydrogenated oilWatchlist · Higher concern

    What this is

    Hydrogenated oil

    Processing category

    Synthetic / man-made

    Main concern area

    Family Watchlist

    Why it matters

    Hydrogenated fats are an industrial formulation input many users avoid.

    Additional note

    Hydrogenated fat built for texture and shelf stability.

  2. Preservatives (TBHQ, citric acid)Concern 7/10 — Higher concernPreservativeWatchlist · Additive

    What this is

    Preservative

    Processing category

    Synthetic / man-made

    Main concern area

    Family Watchlist

    Why it matters

    TBHQ is a synthetic antioxidant preservative many users avoid.

    Additional note

    Preservatives used to slow oxidation and extend shelf life.

    Family watchlist

    Synthetic preservative

  3. Natural and artificial flavorConcern 7/10 — Higher concernVague flavor systemWatchlist · Additive · Vague label term

    What this is

    Vague flavor system

    Processing category

    Unknown / not listed

    Main concern area

    Family Watchlist

    Why it matters

    Vague flavor blends can hide multiple undisclosed inputs.

    Additional note

    Vague flavor system including artificial components.

    Family watchlist

    Vague flavor system with artificial flavor

  4. Soybean and palm oilConcern 6/10 — Moderate concernRefined oilWatchlist

    What this is

    Refined oil

    Processing category

    Processed

    Main concern area

    Family Watchlist

    Why it matters

    Refined seed and palm oils are common in packaged baked goods.

    Additional note

    Refined industrial oil blend used for fat and tenderness.

    Family watchlist

    Refined seed oil blend

View all 17 ingredient assessments
  1. Fractionated palm oilConcern 6/10 — Moderate concernRefined oilWatchlist

    What this is

    Refined oil

    Processing category

    Processed

    Main concern area

    Processing

    Why it matters

    A separated fat fraction designed for functional performance.

    Additional note

    Separated palm oil fraction used for texture and fat behavior.

    Family watchlist

    Refined palm oil fraction

  2. Mono and diglyceridesConcern 6/10 — Moderate concernEmulsifierWatchlist · Additive

    What this is

    Emulsifier

    Processing category

    Synthetic / man-made

    Main concern area

    Family Watchlist

    Why it matters

    Emulsifiers are formulation helpers many users want flagged.

    Additional note

    Emulsifiers used for dough texture and shelf life.

  3. Xanthan gumConcern 5/10 — Moderate concernThickenerWatchlist · Additive

    What this is

    Thickener

    Processing category

    Synthetic / man-made

    Main concern area

    Family Watchlist

    Why it matters

    Gums are texture systems that signal formulation.

    Additional note

    Thickening gum used for texture stability.

    Family watchlist

    Gum thickener

  4. Annatto extract and beta carotene (for color)Concern 5/10 — Moderate concernColor additiveWatchlist · Additive

    What this is

    Color additive

    Processing category

    Synthetic / man-made

    Main concern area

    Additive load

    Why it matters

    Added color helps the product look more buttery.

    Additional note

    Color additives used to adjust the product appearance.

  5. Enriched flour bleached (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid)Concern 4/10 — Mild concernRefined flour

    What this is

    Refined flour

    Processing category

    Processed

    Main concern area

    Processing

    Why it matters

    Refined flour is common but stripped of bran and germ.

    Additional note

    Refined wheat flour with vitamin and mineral enrichment added back.

  6. DextroseConcern 4/10 — Mild concernSweetenerWatchlist

    What this is

    Sweetener

    Processing category

    Processed

    Main concern area

    Ingredient concern

    Why it matters

    Refined sugar that adds sweetness without much other function.

    Additional note

    Refined simple sugar used for sweetness and browning.

    Family watchlist

    Refined sweetener

  7. Vital wheat glutenConcern 4/10 — Mild concernIsolated protein

    What this is

    Isolated protein

    Processing category

    Processed

    Main concern area

    Processing

    Why it matters

    Isolated protein added to build dough structure.

    Additional note

    Isolated wheat protein used for structure and elasticity.

  8. Baking powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda)Concern 3/10 — Mild concernLeavening agentAdditive

    What this is

    Leavening agent

    Processing category

    Processed

    Main concern area

    Processing

    Why it matters

    Standard leavening, though the acid salt adds a formulation step.

    Additional note

    Leavening system with acid salts and baking soda.

  9. SugarConcern 3/10 — Mild concernSweetenerWatchlist

    What this is

    Sweetener

    Processing category

    Natural refined

    Main concern area

    Ingredient concern

    Why it matters

    Refined sweetener present in a small amount.

    Additional note

    Refined sucrose used for sweetness.

    Family watchlist

    Refined sweetener

  10. Potassium chlorideConcern 3/10 — Mild concernMineral additiveAdditive

    What this is

    Mineral additive

    Processing category

    Synthetic / man-made

    Main concern area

    Additive load

    Why it matters

    A functional mineral additive used to tune flavor.

    Additional note

    Mineral salt used as a sodium substitute or flavor adjuster.

  11. SaltConcern 1/10 — Very low concernSimple food

    What this is

    Simple food

    Processing category

    Natural refined

    Why it matters

    Common seasoning with minimal integrity concern.

    Additional note

    Basic seasoning salt.

  12. ButterConcern 1/10 — Very low concernSimple food

    What this is

    Simple food

    Processing category

    Whole food

    Why it matters

    Butter is recognizable though present in a small amount.

    Additional note

    Dairy fat listed but appears far down the ingredient list.

  13. WaterConcern 0/10 — No meaningful concernSimple food

    What this is

    Simple food

    Processing category

    Whole food

    Why it matters

    Plain water carries no integrity concern.

    Additional note

    Plain water used for hydration of the dough.

Food Integrity reflects ingredient list formulation, not a medical safety rating. Confirm details against the product label. Formulations can vary by region, size, and packaging. Check the package label for ingredients, allergens, and nutrition. Not medical advice — do not use this site or the KarbCoach mobile app for allergy or health decisions.

How this product may fit different goals

The same food can look different depending on what matters most to you. Here is a general preview of how this product may align with several common goals.

  • Vegan

    Watch-outs

    Dietary Patterns

    For someone prioritizing Vegan, the analysis identifies considerations that may matter more than the general product score alone.

    A consideration: Animal-derived ingredients (Mentions "butter". See ingredients for details.)

    See more for this goal

  • Plant-Based

    Watch-outs

    Dietary Patterns

    For someone prioritizing Plant-Based, the analysis identifies considerations that may matter more than the general product score alone.

    A consideration: Animal-derived ingredients (Mentions "butter". See ingredients for details.)

    See more for this goal

  • Low-Carb Lifestyle

    Watch-outs

    Dietary Patterns

    For someone prioritizing Low-Carb Lifestyle, the analysis identifies considerations that may matter more than the general product score alone.

    A consideration: Carb-dense ingredients (Mentions "flour", "wheat flour", "enriched flour". See ingredients for details.)

    See more for this goal

  • Keto-Style Eating

    Watch-outs

    Dietary Patterns

    For someone prioritizing Keto-Style Eating, the analysis identifies considerations that may matter more than the general product score alone.

    A consideration: Carb-dense ingredients (Mentions "flour", "wheat flour", "enriched flour". See ingredients for details.)

    See more for this goal

  • Low Gluten Eating

    Watch-outs

    Dietary Patterns

    For someone prioritizing Low Gluten Eating, the analysis identifies considerations that may matter more than the general product score alone.

    A consideration: Gluten-related ingredients (Mentions "wheat", "gluten". See ingredients for details.)

    See more for this goal

  • Minimally Processed Eating

    Watch-outs

    Dietary Patterns

    For someone prioritizing Minimally Processed Eating, the analysis identifies considerations that may matter more than the general product score alone.

    A consideration: Higher processing level (Ultra-processed)

    This product has 3 additional signals for this goal.

    See more for this goal

See how this product fits your goals

Choose what matters most to you and explore a more detailed interpretation of this product's nutrition, ingredients, and tradeoffs.

Personalize this analysis

Understanding the Food Integrity analysis

What the Food Integrity analysis evaluates

The Food Integrity analysis focuses on how a packaged food is formulated and made. It examines processing level, ingredient quality, additives, oils, sweeteners, purity cues, and how clearly a label communicates what is in the product. The Food Integrity Score summarizes that formulation and transparency picture on a 0–100 scale. It is not a full nutrient report and it is not a personalized meal plan.

Why processing, ingredients, and transparency matter

Processing level and ingredient quality shape what you are actually eating beyond calories on the label. Additives, industrial oils, and intense sweeteners can change how clean or heavily engineered a product feels, even when the front of pack looks wholesome. Purity and transparency matter because incomplete or marketing-heavy labeling can hide tradeoffs that only show up when the full ingredient list is reviewed carefully.

Who may prioritize Food Integrity

Some people care mainly about Food Integrity because their dietary goals center on formulation rather than macros alone. Examples include checking vegetarian or vegan suitability, preferring simpler ingredient sources, avoiding certain additives or sweeteners, watching oil choices, or preferring less processed options. For those priorities, the Food Integrity Score can be the more practical first read.

How Food Integrity differs from Longevity

Food Integrity is the focused analysis of processing, ingredients, additives, purity, and transparency. Longevity is the broader analysis of nutritional composition, metabolic and dietary characteristics, processing, and ingredient quality together. Favorable nutrition values do not necessarily mean strong Food Integrity: a product can look balanced on macros yet still rely on heavy processing or additives that the Food Integrity analysis flags in more detail.

Why the two analyses overlap—and why to review Longevity too

The analyses overlap intentionally. Food Integrity–related characteristics contribute to Longevity, and Longevity still benefits from the same ingredient-quality lens. They are not competing verdicts; they answer different questions at different depths. Reviewing the Longevity analysis can add information about nutritional composition, metabolic characteristics, and dietary balance that Food Integrity alone does not emphasize. Looking at both usually gives the most complete understanding of tradeoffs.

Common questions about this product

Is Pillsbury Butter Tastin' Flavor Flaky Layers Biscuits highly processed?

Food Integrity lists processing level as Ultra-processed. That reflects formulation and processing signals from the ingredient analysis — not a medical or regulatory classification.

How much fiber is in one serving?

Pillsbury Butter Tastin' Flavor Flaky Layers Biscuits shows about 0g of fiber per labeled serving in the Longevity nutrition facts.

Does it contain added sugar?

Pillsbury Butter Tastin' Flavor Flaky Layers Biscuits: 2g added sugar per serving; sweetener signals include Dextrose, Sugar. Confirm the current package Nutrition Facts and ingredient list.

What helped the Longevity Score?

Key positives called out in the analysis include: Modest calorie load per biscuit (100 kcal); Low added sugar (about 2 g per serving).

What prevented a perfect Longevity Score?

Key concerns noted include: Enriched bleached flour with very low fiber (0 g); Hydrogenated palm oil and soybean/palm oil blend; Preservatives (TBHQ) and artificial flavor.

Who might evaluate this product differently?

People prioritizing different goals (for example lower carbs, higher protein, or minimally processed eating) may weigh the same bakery & bread differently. Use the goal preview on this page, then personalize in KarbCoach for your priorities.

Other published analyses in Bakery & Bread, selected from the same Healthy Food Guide catalog.

Source data and Healthy Food Guide analysis

  1. Public label databases (including USDA FoodData Central and Open Food Facts) — Possible sources for package ingredients and nutrition.
  2. Healthy Food Guide analysis (Longevity and Food Integrity) — Independent Longevity and Food Integrity scorecards.
  3. How the Longevity Score is calculated
  4. How the Food Integrity Score is calculated
  5. Scoring models: KarbCoach Longevity and Food Integrity.
  6. Independent analysis. No manufacturer affiliation.
  7. Formulations can vary by region, size, and packaging. Check the package label for ingredients, allergens, and nutrition. Not medical advice — do not use this site or the KarbCoach mobile app for allergy or health decisions. Full sources and safety details.
Label accuracy and safety information

Formulations can vary by region, size, and packaging. Check the package label for ingredients, allergens, and nutrition. Not medical advice — do not use this site or the KarbCoach mobile app for allergy or health decisions.

Sources, citations & safety

See how this item lines up with your goals

Healthy Food Guide covers this product in detail. In KarbCoach, your goals shape what matters most for your meals.

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