Del Monte Pizza and Pasta Sauce — BULLSHIT
Munch or Dump rates Del Monte Pizza and Pasta Sauce by Del Monte Quality BULLSHIT — score 0/90.
The package screams "100% Fresh Ingredients, No Added Preservatives, Chemicals, Colors or MSG" — but the ingredient list literally ends with a preservative (sodium benzoate, INS 211), plus two added sweeteners and lab-made thickeners. The label contradicts the jar.
Why this verdict
- "No added preservatives" on pack, yet sodium benzoate (INS 211) is listed in the ingredients
- "100% fresh / no chemicals" but it's NOVA-4 with modified starch, guar gum and refined oil
- Two added sweeteners — liquid glucose and sugar — stacked together
- Modified starch (INS 1422) and guar gum thicken it into something processed, not fresh
Ingredients (14)
- Tomato Paste (41%) (safe) — Real concentrated tomato — the one genuinely good thing here, source of lycopene and the actual tomato flavor.
- Water (safe) — First ingredient by weight; this pudding is mostly water, not milk.
- Onions (safe) — Whole vegetable, adds flavor and fiber.
- Liquid glucose (moderate) — A second refined sweetener (glucose syrup) used for texture and cost - stacks sugar load.
- Sugar (moderate) — Added sugar sitting ahead of cocoa; the main flavor driver here.
- Edible Vegetable Oil (Soybean Oil) (moderate) — Refined, omega-6-heavy industrial oil; fine in small amounts but not a 'fresh' ingredient.
- Iodized Salt (safe) — Standard salt; iodization is fine in small amounts.
- GARLIC POWDER (safe) — Dehydrated garlic for flavor; harmless whole-food seasoning.
- Mixed Spices, Red Chilli & Paprika (safe) — Real spices for heat and color; the genuinely nice part of the flavor build.
- Acidity Regulators (INS 260, INS 330) (safe) — Acetic and citric acid — standard, safe pH and tartness control.
- Milk Solids (safe) — Concentrated dairy solids that add protein and calcium; standard for toned milk.
- Modified Starch (INS 1422) (moderate) — Chemically modified thickener — a classic ultra-processing marker, not something from a fresh kitchen.
- Guar Gum (INS 415) (moderate) — Industrial stabilizer/thickener; safe but signals a manufactured, not fresh, product.
- Preservative (Sodium Benzoate, INS 211) (concerning) — The exact preservative the package claims it doesn't contain; can form benzene with vitamin C and is the headline of the marketing lie.