8" White Cake Decorated — DUMP

Name: 8" White Cake Decorated
Brand: Bakery Fresh Fred Meyer

Munch or Dump rates 8" White Cake Decorated by Bakery Fresh Fred Meyer DUMP — score 17/90.

This isn't a cake, it's a chemistry set with frosting. Hydrogenated oil (hello, trans fats), six artificial dyes including the now-banned Red 3, titanium dioxide, TBHQ, and five different sugars stacked on top of each other. The 'Bakery Fresh' label means it was decorated in-store — the formula came from an industrial lab.

Why this verdict

Hydrogenated cottonseed oil — trans fats, an automatic DUMP no matter what else is in the box
Six artificial colors including Red 3, which the FDA has revoked from food use over cancer findings
Titanium dioxide whitener — banned in the EU over DNA-damage concerns, still legal in the US
Five sugar sources (sugar, corn syrup, HFCS, dextrose, maltodextrin) plus a five-emulsifier stack and TBHQ preservative
25+ ingredients — a textbook NOVA 4 ultra-processed formulation, not a bakery recipe

Ingredients (17)

Sugar (moderate) — Added for sweetness, can contribute to calorie content.
Enriched bleached wheat flour (moderate) — Refined flour with dough conditioners.
Soybean Oil (moderate) — Refined vegetable oil for body and mouthfeel.
Hydrogenated cottonseed oil (avoid) — Source of artificial trans fat; unacceptable regardless of other ingredients.
Interesterified soybean oil (caution) — Industrially rearranged fat that replaces trans fat; emerging evidence links it to unfavorable metabolic effects.
Modified Corn Starch (moderate) — Thickener/stabilizer that gives the sauce body.
Corn Syrup (caution) — Added sugar baked into the crust.
High Fructose Corn Syrup (caution) — The dominant sweetener and second ingredient; drives the sugar load.
Dextrose (caution) — Second added sweetener.
Maltodextrin (moderate) — Highly processed starch-derived carbohydrate used as a carrier and texturizer; spikes blood sugar readily.
Emulsifiers (mono- and diglycerides, polysorbate 60, sorbitan monostearate, sodium stearoyl lactylate, soy lecithin) (concerning) — Five stacked emulsifiers; some are linked to gut-microbiome disruption.
Titanium dioxide (avoid) — Whitening color agent banned as a food additive in the EU.
Artificial colors (Blue 1, Blue 2, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Red 40, Red 3) (harmful) — Synthetic petroleum dyes linked to hyperactivity in children; Red 3 is being phased out as a food color.
Preservatives (potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, TBHQ) (moderate) — Shelf-life chemicals; TBHQ is a petroleum-derived antioxidant.
Gums (gum arabic, locust bean, guar, carrageenan) (moderate) — Stabilizer stack; carrageenan is a gut-irritation concern.
Eggs and egg whites (safe) — Real protein and structure — one of the few whole ingredients.
Nonfat Milk (safe) — Dairy solids; contributes to browning and flavor.