365 by Whole Foods Market Vegan Ultimate Veggie Thin Crust Pizza — ENGINEERED
Munch or Dump rates 365 by Whole Foods Market Vegan Ultimate Veggie Thin Crust Pizza by 365 by Whole Foods Market ENGINEERED — score 35/90.
The vegetables and organic crust are real, but the cheese is a lab build: pea protein, a stack of pea, potato, tapioca, and cassava starches, refined coconut oil, konjac, yeast extract, and natural flavors engineered to melt and taste cheesy. It is a legitimately vegan pizza with no false claims, just a long, manufactured ingredient list. Reasonable as an occasional plant-based option, not a whole-food one.
Why this verdict
- Dairy-free cheese is built from pea protein plus four or more refined starches and refined coconut oil
- Well over 18 ingredients, dominated by isolates, starches, and functional additives rather than whole foods
- Yeast extract, natural flavors, and tricalcium phosphate signal engineered palatability, not a kitchen recipe
- Genuine positives exist: real roasted peppers, mushrooms, and olives, plus an organic wheat crust
- Claims are honest (it truly is vegan and plant-based), so this is engineered, not deceptive
Ingredients (10)
- Pea protein / pea milk (safe) — Plant protein base of the vegan cheese; nutritious in itself but heavily isolated.
- Pea, potato, tapioca, and cassava starches (moderate) — A stack of refined starches used for melt and texture; refined fillers with little nutrition.
- Highly refined coconut oil (moderate) — Provides the fat and mouthfeel of cheese; a refined, highly saturated oil.
- konjac flour (moderate) — A gelling fiber used as a texturizer in the cheese matrix.
- Tricalcium Phosphate (safe) — Additional calcium and anti-caking fortificant. Safe.
- YEAST EXTRACT (moderate) — A natural glutamate source used to add savory, cheesy umami.
- Natural Flavors (moderate) — Undefined flavor blend. Legal and common, but not transparent about what is actually in it.
- Ferrous gluconate (moderate) — Added to stabilize the color of the black olives; a processing additive.
- Roasted peppers, mushrooms, and olives (safe) — Real vegetable toppings and the genuine bright spot of the ingredient list.
- Organic wheat flour crust (moderate) — A short, organic crust; refined flour but a clean, simple formula on its own.