Campbell's Cream of Chicken Condensed Soup — ENGINEERED
Munch or Dump rates Campbell's Cream of Chicken Condensed Soup by Campbell's ENGINEERED — score 30/90.
A water-and-oil base with just 4% chicken, thickened with modified starch and pumped up with two yeast-derived glutamate sources and dried stock flavourings to fake a rich, meaty taste.
Why this verdict
- Only 4% real chicken — the rest is water, oil, and starch
- Two yeast-derived glutamate sources (autolysed yeast + yeast extract) engineer a savory hit
- Modified maize starch and potato starch are refined industrial thickeners
- Dried 'stock flavourings' fake the meaty taste instead of using actual stock
- Salt-heavy and built for craveability, not nourishment
Ingredients (16)
- Water (safe) — Used as a basic ingredient in bread.
- rapeseed oil (safe) — A source of healthy fats and often used in cooking.
- Modified Maize Starch (moderate) — Industrial texturizer/thickener; a NOVA-4 marker that signals processing, not nutrition.
- Chicken (4%) (safe) — Actual chicken, but only 4% of the product — a token amount behind water, oil, and starch.
- wheat flour (moderate) — Thickening agent, not harmful but adds processing.
- milk proteins (safe) — Small amount of dairy protein.
- Salt (moderate) — Used in moderation, might exceed necessary amount.
- Double Cream (Milk) (moderate) — Adds richness but brings saturated fat and calories.
- Dried Chicken Stock Flavourings (moderate) — Powdered flavoring used to simulate a meaty, cooked-stock taste the 4% chicken can't provide.
- Autolysed Yeast (moderate) — A natural source of free glutamate (MSG-like) used to amplify savory flavor.
- YEAST EXTRACT (moderate) — A hidden source of free glutamate, stacked with MSG for umami.
- potato starch (safe) — Anti-caking agent to keep shreds separate.
- Spices (safe) — Real seasoning — the flavor comes from spices, not additive flavor systems.
- Sage Extract (safe) — Herbal extract for flavor, used in tiny amounts.
- garlic extract (moderate) — Concentrated flavoring rather than actual garlic.
- onion oil (safe) — Concentrated flavoring oil used at trace levels.