Black Forest Brownie Mix — ENGINEERED

Munch or Dump rates Black Forest Brownie Mix by Black Forest ENGINEERED — score 30/90.

Sugar is the #1 ingredient, ahead of any flour or cocoa, and it's propped up with cornstarch and artificial flavoring. This is a craving-built dessert mix, not real baking.

Why this verdict

• Sugar is the first and dominant ingredient, ahead of flour and cocoa
• Contains artificial flavoring, not just real cherry and cocoa
• Two sugar sources stacked: added sugar plus sugar-coated dried cherries
• Cornstarch is a refined starch filler with no nutritional value
• Refined enriched flour plus added sugar is a classic hyper-palatable base

Ingredients (6)

• Sugar (moderate) — Added for sweetness, can contribute to calorie content.
• Unbleached enriched wheat flour (moderate) — Refined white flour; the base of the product. Fast-digesting starch with the bran and germ removed.
• Cocoa (safe) — Provides the chocolate note; present as 'a hint,' well below sugar and oil.
• cornstarch (moderate) — Refined starch filler for crunch and shape.
• Dried cherries (with added sugar) (moderate) — Real cherries, but sweetened with more sugar, so they double as a second added-sugar source.
• Natural and artificial flavoring (concerning) — Lab-made flavor compounds standing in for real ingredients. The 'artificial' tag is the engineered red flag here.