Great Value Creamy Peanut Butter, 40 oz — DUMP

Munch or Dump rates Great Value Creamy Peanut Butter, 40 oz by Great Value DUMP — score 17/90.

Peanut butter should be peanuts and salt. This one pads the jar with sugar, molasses, and — the dealbreaker — hydrogenated vegetable oil, which is trans-fat territory no matter what the per-serving rounding says. Cheap and smooth, but not worth it.

Why this verdict

• Hydrogenated vegetable oil (rapeseed, cottonseed, soybean) sits third on the list — trans-fat territory and an automatic disqualifier
• Multiple sweeteners detected — sweetness engineered, not simple: sugar plus molasses stacked on already-sweet roasted peanuts
• Mono- and diglycerides: an industrial emulsifier added so the oil never separates, which can itself carry trace trans fats
• '0g trans fat' on the label relies on rounding below 0.5g per serving while the trans-fat source is printed right in the ingredient list
• A two-ingredient food rebuilt with four processing ingredients — classic cheap-jar formulation

Ingredients (6)

• roasted peanuts (safe) — The one ingredient a peanut butter actually needs; good protein and healthy fats.
• Sugar (moderate) — Added for sweetness, can contribute to calorie content.
• Hydrogenated vegetable oil (rapeseed, cottonseed, soybean) (avoid) — Hydrogenation creates trans fat and is added only to keep the oil from separating; the single biggest knock against this jar.
• Salt (moderate) — Used in moderation, might exceed necessary amount.
• molasses (moderate) — A second sweetener for color and flavor. Minor, but it stacks on top of the sugar.
• Mono- and diglycerides (moderate) — Emulsifier that keeps fat and water blended - a processed-food marker.

Healthier alternatives

• Teddie Unsalted Peanut Butter
• Creamy Salted Peanut Butter
• Old fashioned peanut butter all natural super chunky
• Simple Truth Organic Creamy Peanut Butter
• Organic Creamy Peanut Butter