Great Value Hickory Smoked Bacon, 16 oz — DUMP

Munch or Dump rates Great Value Hickory Smoked Bacon, 16 oz by Great Value (Walmart) DUMP — score 18/90.

Six additives deep in a chemical cure: sodium nitrite, phosphates, and erythorbate doing the preserving. Processed meat is the one food category the WHO links directly to colorectal cancer, and 'naturally smoked' doesn't change the chemistry. The smoke is natural; the cure isn't.

Why this verdict

• Cured with sodium nitrite, which can form nitrosamines when bacon hits a hot pan — the reason processed meat carries a WHO Group 1 classification
• Sodium phosphates and sodium erythorbate round out an industrial curing system, not a kitchen recipe
• Roughly 40% fat by weight with a heavy saturated share, plus serious sodium in every slice
• The short ingredient list doesn't rescue it — every item after 'pork' is there to cure, color, and preserve

Ingredients (6)

• Pork (moderate) — The meat base. A source of protein, but this cut is fatty and heavily salted once cured.
• Salt (moderate) — Used in moderation, might exceed necessary amount.
• Sugar (moderate) — Added for sweetness, can contribute to calorie content.
• Sodium phosphates (caution) — Industrial phosphate salts used to plump and retain moisture in the meat; regular high intake is a cardiovascular and kidney concern.
• SODIUM ERYTHORBATE (moderate) — A cure accelerator that helps fix the pink color. Safe itself, but a marker of industrial curing.
• 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.