Mountain Dew 12-Pack — DUMP
Munch or Dump rates Mountain Dew 12-Pack by Mountain Dew DUMP — score 17/90.
The most sugar-loaded of the major sodas — 46 grams per can — dyed neon with Yellow 5 and held together by a preservative kit of sodium benzoate and EDTA. The 'exhilaration' is a sugar-and-caffeine spike with a crash built in. Twelve ingredients, none of them doing you a favor.
Why this verdict
- 46g of sugar per 12 oz can from high fructose corn syrup — the highest of the mainstream sodas, well past a full day's added-sugar limit
- Yellow 5 (tartrazine): a synthetic azo dye linked to hyperactivity in children — the reason for warning labels in the EU — used purely to make it glow
- Preservative stack: sodium benzoate plus calcium disodium EDTA plus erythorbic acid — shelf-life chemistry, not kitchen ingredients
- 54mg caffeine riding on a massive sugar bolus — the trademark 'charge' is a spike-and-crash
- The 'concentrated orange juice' is a splash for flavor, not nutrition
Ingredients (10)
- High Fructose Corn Syrup (caution) — The dominant sweetener and second ingredient; drives the sugar load.
- Yellow 5 (tartrazine) (caution) — Synthetic petroleum-derived dye linked to hyperactivity sensitivity in some children.
- sodium benzoate (caution) — Chemical preservative for shelf life.
- calcium disodium edta (moderate) — Preservative that binds metals to protect quality; a processed-food additive but used in tiny amounts.
- Caffeine (moderate) — Mild stimulant, 43mg per serving. Fine in moderation but makes the drink mildly habit-forming.
- concentrated orange juice (safe) — A splash of real juice for citrus flavor — not enough to matter nutritionally.
- gum arabic (safe) — Natural gum used to bind seasoning to the chip.
- erythorbic acid (safe) — Antioxidant preservative, a vitamin C relative.
- sodium citrate (moderate) — Emulsifying salt in the process cheese.
- citric acid (safe) — Acidity and tartness adjuster.