Chicken Pâté — DUMP

Munch or Dump rates Chicken Pâté by Baroni DUMP — score 17/90.

The first ingredient is water and the second is mechanically separated chicken — meat slurry pressure-forced off the carcass. Add chicken skin, pork fat, MSG, and sodium nitrite, and 'pâté' starts doing a lot of heavy lifting. This is processed-meat paste with a French accent.

Why this verdict

• Sodium nitrite — the curing agent behind processed meat's WHO Group 1 carcinogen classification, paired with sodium erythorbate to speed the cure
• Built on water and mechanically separated chicken (19%), padded with chicken skin and pork fat — actual chicken liver is only about 10%
• MSG flavor enhancement to make the slurry taste like something
• 17-ingredient list with glucose syrup, soya protein, pea starch, and guar gum as fillers and binders — a NOVA 4 industrial formulation
• High saturated fat and sodium in a spreadable format that's easy to overeat

Ingredients (17)

• Water (safe) — Used as a basic ingredient in bread.
• Mechanically Separated Chicken (avoid) — Pressure-recovered meat paste — the lowest-grade meat input allowed in the product.
• chicken liver (moderate) — Genuine organ meat with iron and vitamin A, but a minor part of the recipe.
• Chicken skin (moderate) — Fatty trimming used as cheap filler fat.
• PORK FAT (moderate) — Saturated animal fat for mouthfeel and calories.
• wheat flour (moderate) — Thickening agent, not harmful but adds processing.
• Salt (moderate) — Used in moderation, might exceed necessary amount.
• glucose syrup (caution) — A second refined sweetener in the caramel.
• Milk (safe) — Real dairy base.
• Soya protein (moderate) — Isolated protein extender to stretch the meat.
• egg white (safe) — Whipped egg white gives the meringue structure.
• pea starch (moderate) — Refined starch thickener and filler.
• Celery (safe) — Real vegetable.
• Guar Gum (moderate) — Used as a firming agent or conditioner; not necessary.
• SODIUM ERYTHORBATE (moderate) — A cure accelerator that helps fix the pink color. Safe itself, but a marker of industrial curing.
• MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE (moderate) — Flavor enhancer; safe for most but a signal of engineered savoriness.
• Sodium Nitrite (avoid) — The curing agent behind bacon's color and shelf life. Under high heat it forms nitrosamines; processed meat cured with it is a WHO Group 1 carcinogen.