Mala's Mango Jam — BULLSHIT
Munch or Dump rates Mala's Mango Jam by Mala's Mango BULLSHIT — score 0/90.
A jam where sugar, not mango, is the #1 ingredient — dosed with synthetic Sunset Yellow colour and artificial flavours, yet the brand sells itself as pure, natural, fruit-first sweetness.
Why this verdict
- Sugar is the first ingredient, ahead of the 45% mango pulp
- Contains E110 (Sunset Yellow), a synthetic dye carrying warning labels in the EU
- Uses artificial and nature-identical flavours to mimic real mango
- Brand markets 'natural / zero added sugar / purely fruit' — this jar is sugar-led and synthetic
- NOVA 4 ultra-processed: a sugar delivery system with fruit flavour
Ingredients (6)
- Sugar (moderate) — Added sugar sitting ahead of cocoa; the main flavor driver here.
- Mango pulp (45%) (safe) — Real fruit pulp brings some vitamins and fibre, but it sits behind sugar on the list, so it's the minority story here.
- Pectin (E440) (safe) — A fruit-derived gelling agent that gives jam its set — benign and commonly used.
- Citric acid (E330) (safe) — A mild acidulant for tartness and shelf stability — harmless in these amounts.
- Sunset Yellow FCF (E110) (concerning) — A synthetic azo dye added purely for colour; linked to hyperactivity in children and carries a mandatory warning label in the EU.
- Artificial & nature-identical flavours (mango) (moderate) — Lab-made flavouring used to fake a stronger mango taste — a tell that the fruit itself isn't doing the work.