RUNTS, THROWBACK FRUIT-SHAPED CANDY by Sunmark — DUMP
Munch or Dump rates RUNTS, THROWBACK FRUIT-SHAPED CANDY by Sunmark by Sunmark DUMP — score 17/90.
This is a sugar-and-dye product with no pretense of nutrition. Dextrose and corn syrup do the sweetening, and the flavor and look come almost entirely from natural flavors and a long stack of artificial colors — Blue 1, Blue 2, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6 — plus carmine. Fun as a nostalgia candy, but nutritionally it's dye-colored sugar.
Why this verdict
- Built on two sugars — dextrose and corn syrup — with nothing else of nutritional value
- Six-plus artificial color additives (Blue 1, Blue 2, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6 and their lakes)
- Carmine (insect-derived color) plus 'color added' on top of the synthetic dyes
- Maltodextrin and calcium stearate as industrial processing aids
- NOVA 4 confectionery — flavor and color are entirely manufactured
Ingredients (16)
- Dextrose (caution) — Second added sweetener.
- Maltodextrin (moderate) — Highly processed starch-derived carbohydrate used as a carrier and texturizer; spikes blood sugar readily.
- AND LESS THAN OF MALIC ACID (safe) — A natural acid added to offer sour taste.
- CALCIUM STEARATE (safe) — Anti-caking/flow agent so the powder presses into tablets. Inert and safe.
- Corn Syrup (caution) — Added sugar baked into the crust.
- carnauba wax (safe) — Plant wax used to keep the bears from sticking.
- Natural Flavors (safe) — Flavor compounds derived from natural sources.
- Color Added (caution) — Unspecified colorant — the label doesn't even say which.
- CARMINE COLOR (caution) — Insect-derived added color used to boost pink appearance.
- blue 1 (avoid) — Artificial dye used to tune color; no nutritional role.
- blue 1 lake (concerning) — Artificial petroleum-derived color with zero nutritional purpose in gum.
- BLUE 2 LAKE (concerning) — Indigotine; synthetic dye with no nutritional purpose, purely cosmetic.
- red 40 lake (concerning) — Petroleum-derived dye linked to hyperactivity in sensitive children; under regulatory scrutiny.
- yellow 5 (avoid) — Artificial dye linked to sensitivity in some people; unnecessary here.
- YELLOW 5 LAKE (concerning) — Tartrazine; associated with hyperactivity and allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.
- yellow 6 (avoid) — Synthetic azo dye used purely for color.
Healthier alternatives