Chilli con Carne — ENGINEERED

Munch or Dump rates Chilli con Carne by El Tequito ENGINEERED — score 30/90.

A shelf-stable ready-meal built around a real bean-and-tomato base, but propped up with modified starch, guar gum thickener, and added sugar — classic processed-convenience engineering.

Why this verdict

• Modified starch plus guar gum thicken it artificially instead of real cooking
• Added sugar in a savory dish that doesn't need it
• Only 10% pork, and that pork is bulked out with water and salt
• NOVA-4 ready meal with a 17-item additive-laced ingredient tail

Ingredients (17)

• Red beans (27%) (safe) — Fiber and plant protein — the best thing in the can and the largest ingredient.
• Water (safe) — First ingredient by weight; this pudding is mostly water, not milk.
• Tomatoes (safe) — Whole tomatoes; the nutritious base of the salsa, source of lycopene and vitamin C.
• Seasoned pork (10%) (moderate) — Small amount of pork, itself diluted with added water and salt.
• Tomato paste (safe) — Concentrated tomato, fine.
• Onions (safe) — Whole vegetable, adds flavor and fiber.
• Corn (safe) — Whole vegetable, minor starch and fiber.
• Paprika (safe) — Real pepper, neutral-to-positive.
• modified starch (moderate) — Industrial thickener that signals a processed, NOVA-4 formulation.
• Salt (moderate) — Ready meals tend to run salt-heavy; watch the sodium.
• rapeseed oil (moderate) — Refined seed oil; fine in small amounts as used here.
• Spices (incl. celery, mustard) (safe) — Real seasoning, allergen-flagged.
• Sugar (moderate) — Added sugar sitting ahead of cocoa; the main flavor driver here.
• Guar gum (thickener) (moderate) — Stabilizer/thickener used to fake a thicker sauce.
• wheat flour (moderate) — Refined flour — fast carbs, little fibre, spikes blood sugar.
• Chicken egg white (moderate) — Protein binder; egg allergen.
• Skimmed Milk Powder (moderate) — Dairy filler/binder; milk allergen.