Kyoshin Rice Cake With Berry-Flavored Bean Paste, Strawberry & Blueberry — DUMP
Munch or Dump rates Kyoshin Rice Cake With Berry-Flavored Bean Paste, Strawberry & Blueberry by Kyoshin Confectioner Co. Ltd. DUMP — score 20/90.
Sugar is the #1 ingredient, stacked with five more sweeteners, then dyed with three artificial colors and propped up with artificial flavor. This is engineered candy wearing a traditional-mochi costume.
Why this verdict
- Sugar is the #1 ingredient — ahead of any actual food
- Six stacked sweeteners: sugar, glucose syrup, maltose, hydrogenated glucose syrup, trehalose, sorbitol
- Three artificial dyes (Red No. 3, Blue No. 1, Yellow No. 6) just for color
- Artificial flavor and an emulsifier do the work real fruit should
- Effectively a sugar bomb with trace bean paste
Ingredients (16)
- Granulated sugar (concerning) — The #1 ingredient — pure added sugar spikes blood glucose and crowds out nutrition.
- glucose syrup (moderate) — A second refined sweetener used for the caramel character; fast-absorbing sugar with no nutritional value.
- Bean paste (kidney beans) (safe) — The one real-food element — provides a little fiber and protein, but it's sweetened.
- Maltose (concerning) — Another added sugar; high-glycemic and purely for sweetness.
- Glucose rice powder (moderate) — Refined rice starch base of the mochi — fast carbs, minimal nutrition.
- Hydrogenated glucose syrup (moderate) — A sugar alcohol/polyol sweetener; large amounts can cause digestive upset.
- Trehalose (moderate) — Yet another sugar used for texture and sweetness — fifth sweetener on the list.
- sorbitol (moderate) — Sugar alcohol sweetener; poorly absorbed, causes bloating, gas and laxative effects in the amounts used in syrup.
- Concentrated fruit juice (strawberry, blueberry) (moderate) — More of a flavor/sugar input than real fruit — it's the marketing hook, not nutrition.
- Glyceryl-lacto esters of fatty acids (moderate) — Synthetic emulsifier used to bind the engineered texture together.
- sodium alginate (moderate) — Seaweed-derived gelling/thickening agent — generally safe, signals processing.
- potato starch (moderate) — Another refined starch used to bulk the chicken.
- Artificial Flavor) (concerning) — Lab-synthesized flavor doing the vanilla's job; a clear sign there's little to no real vanilla.
- Red No. 3 (Erythrosine) (harmful) — Artificial dye being phased out by the FDA over cancer concerns — no nutritional purpose.
- FD&C Blue No. 1 (concerning) — Synthetic dye for color only; linked to hyperactivity sensitivity in some children.
- FD&C Yellow No. 6 (concerning) — Synthetic dye for color only; associated with hyperactivity in sensitive kids.