Del Monte Tomato Ketchup — DUMP

Name: Del Monte Tomato Ketchup
Brand: Del Monte

Munch or Dump rates Del Monte Tomato Ketchup by Del Monte DUMP — score 20/90.

Sugar-and-salt sauce built on diluted tomato paste, thickened with modified starch and gums and kept shelf-stable with sodium benzoate. NOVA 4 ultra-processed condiment.

Why this verdict

Tomato paste is only 29%; water + sugar make up most of the jar
Added sugar is the second ingredient, ~25g per 100g
Modified starch (INS 1422) and xanthan gum fake the 'rich, thick' texture
Sodium benzoate (INS 211) preservative; classified NOVA 4 ultra-processed
Iodized salt adds a meaningful sodium load per serving

Ingredients (11)

Water (safe) — Inert; just adjusts texture.
Tomato Paste (29%) (safe) — The one genuinely nutritious component, but under a third of the product.
Sugar (concerning) — Added refined sugar, listed high - spikes blood sugar with no nutrition.
Iodized Salt (safe) — Standard salt with added iodine; fine in moderation.
Acidity Regulator (INS 260, Acetic Acid) (safe) — Vinegar acid for tang and shelf stability; harmless.
Thickener (INS 1422, Acetylated Distarch Adipate) (moderate) — Modified starch used to fake body the diluted paste lacks; a NOVA 4 marker.
Thickener (INS 415, Xanthan Gum) (safe) — Industrial stabilizer for the broth — safe but a processed-food marker.
ONION POWDER (safe) — Dried aromatic seasoning.
GARLIC POWDER (safe) — Dried aromatic; fine.
Mixed Spices (safe) — Flavoring, benign.
Preservative (INS 211, Sodium Benzoate) (moderate) — Class II preservative. In acidic drinks it can form trace benzene, and it is linked to hyperactivity in sensitive children when combined with azo dyes.