Is Old El Paso / McCormick Taco Seasoning Mix (Original packet) low FODMAP?

A standard taco seasoning packet is concentrated onion used at exactly the wrong dose. On the current Old El Paso Original label, onion powder sits above the 2%-or-less line (corn starch, chili pepper, maltodextrin, salt, spice, onion powder), and the McCormick packet goes further — onion is its second ingredient and garlic appears by name. Dehydrated onion is one of the most concentrated fructan sources in the grocery store, and taco night is a tablespoon occasion, not a pinch occasion: the label serving is two teaspoons, and the whole packet typically goes into one skillet of meat that then anchors the entire meal. 'Natural flavor' adds a small unknown on top. The rest of the label — corn starch, maltodextrin, chili pepper, salt — is not a FODMAP problem; maltodextrin is a glucose polymer despite its industrial name. This verdict is entirely about the onion, and on some brands garlic too, arriving at meal-sized doses. Building the same flavor from pure ground chile, cumin, smoked paprika, and oregano is easy, takes two minutes, and loses nothing but the fructans.

📏 Label serving is 2 teaspoons of dry mix, and a full packet typically seasons one skillet of meat — so a taco-night plate delivers a meal-sized onion dose, several times what a shake-on blend would.