Jif Creamy Peanut Butter — ENGINEERED

Munch or Dump rates Jif Creamy Peanut Butter by Jif ENGINEERED — score 30/90.

Peanuts are the base, but Jif adds sugar, molasses and fully hydrogenated oil to keep it sweet and shelf-stable. That processing pushes a food that should be one ingredient into lab-tweaked territory.

Why this verdict

• Fully hydrogenated vegetable oil added to stop oil separation
• Two added sweeteners: sugar plus molasses
• Mono- and diglycerides are an industrial emulsifier
• Real peanut butter needs only peanuts and salt

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.
• molasses (moderate) — A second sweetener for color and flavor. Minor, but it stacks on top of the sugar.
• fully hydrogenated vegetable oils (rapeseed and soybean) (avoid) — A hard-processed fat; hydrogenated oil in any form is an automatic quality red flag in this product.
• Mono and Diglycerides (moderate) — Emulsifier that keeps fat evenly dispersed.
• Salt (moderate) — Used in moderation, might exceed necessary amount.

Healthier alternatives

• ALPINO Natural Peanut Butter Crunch
• Meridian Smooth Peanut Butter
• The Butternut Co. Peanut Butter Creamy Unsweetened
• MuscleBlaze bGREEN Peanut Butter
• Smucker's Natural Creamy Peanut Butter