Publix Creamy Peanut Butter — DUMP

Munch or Dump rates Publix Creamy Peanut Butter by Publix DUMP — score 17/90.

Fans are right that it tastes just like Jif, and that is the problem: it is built the same way, with hydrogenated vegetable oil in the mix. That hydrogenation is a source of trans fat and is exactly the ingredient a real peanut butter does not need. Add sugar on top and this is a processed spread, not the simple ground-peanut jar people assume.

Why this verdict

• Contains hydrogenated vegetable oil, an automatic DUMP because hydrogenation creates trans fat
• Sugar is the second ingredient, unnecessary in a true peanut butter
• Mono- and diglyceride-style hydrogenated oil is added purely to stop natural oil separation
• A genuinely clean peanut butter needs only peanuts and maybe salt; this has five ingredients including engineered fat and two sweeteners
• Tastes like Jif because it is formulated like Jif, not because it is wholesome

Ingredients (5)

• 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.
• Hydrogenated vegetable oil (rapeseed, cottonseed, soybean) (avoid) — Hydrogenation creates trans fat and is added only to keep the oil from separating; the single biggest knock against this jar.
• molasses (moderate) — A second sweetener for color and flavor. Minor, but it stacks on top of the sugar.
• 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