Hershey's Milk Duds (Chocolate & Caramel) — DUMP

Name: Hershey's Milk Duds (Chocolate & Caramel)
Brand: Hershey's Milk

Munch or Dump rates Hershey's Milk Duds (Chocolate & Caramel) by Hershey's Milk DUMP — score 17/90.

Corn syrup and sugar are the top two ingredients in a candy whose only nod to health is a '30% less fat' badge. Four different sweeteners, refined palm oil, emulsifiers, and artificial flavor make this a textbook ultra-processed sweet.

Why this verdict

Corn syrup is the #1 ingredient, sugar #2 - this is sugar with flavoring
Four distinct sweeteners (corn syrup, sugar, dextrose, brown sugar) spike blood sugar fast
Refined vegetable oils plus mono- and diglycerides and soy lecithin emulsifiers
Artificial flavor and vanillin instead of real ingredients
Confectioner's glaze and tapioca dextrin are pure processing fillers

Ingredients (13)

Corn Syrup (caution) — Added sugar baked into the crust.
Sugar (moderate) — Added for sweetness, can contribute to calorie content.
Vegetable oil (palm, shea, sunflower, palm kernel, safflower) (moderate) — A blend of refined oils replacing real cocoa butter - cheap fat with no nutritional upside.
Dextrose (caution) — Second added sweetener.
Nonfat Milk (safe) — Dairy solids; contributes to browning and flavor.
Reduced protein whey (milk) (moderate) — Processed dairy fraction used as a cheap solid filler.
Chocolate (safe) — Small amount of real chocolate; a minor positive.
brown sugar (caution) — Second added sugar in the flavor base.
Mono- and diglycerides (moderate) — Emulsifier that keeps fat and water blended - a processed-food marker.
confectioner's glaze (moderate) — Shellac-based shine and moisture barrier.
Tapioca dextrin (moderate) — Starch-derived coating aid.
Lecithin (Soy) (moderate) — Emulsifier that binds fat and water for a smooth texture.
Vanillin (artificial flavor) (moderate) — Synthetic vanilla note used to round the flavor instead of real vanilla.