Russell Stover Private Reserve Elegant Collection Chocolate Assortment — DUMP

Name: Russell Stover Private Reserve Elegant Collection Chocolate Assortment
Brand: Russell Stover Candies Inc.

Munch or Dump rates Russell Stover Private Reserve Elegant Collection Chocolate Assortment by Russell Stover Candies Inc. DUMP — score 20/90.

Marketed as fine, handcrafted chocolate, but it hides hydrogenated coconut oil, artificial flavor and color, and synthetic preservatives inside a 28-ingredient sugar bomb.

Why this verdict

Hydrogenated coconut oil, a processed fat, is an automatic red flag
Sugar is ingredient #1 with four total sweeteners stacked on top
28 ingredients including artificial flavour and added colour
Synthetic preservatives sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate
Cheap palm kernel oil fills in for real cocoa butter

Ingredients (20)

Sugar (concerning) — Added sugar, third by weight, feeds yeast and adds sweetness with no nutritional benefit.
milk ingredients (moderate) — Dairy base for the milk chocolate; fine in moderation.
Corn Syrup (concerning) — A second stacked added sugar on top of HFCS, pushing total sugar to roughly a quarter of the product.
Cocoa Butter (safe) — The natural fat of the cocoa bean; rich and calorie-dense but not an industrial oil.
Cocoa Mass (safe) — Ground cocoa beans; the actual chocolate, carrying flavanols and minerals.
brown sugar (moderate) — Added sugar; spikes blood glucose and adds empty calories. Not #1 but still a refined sweetener.
Palm Kernel Oil (moderate) — Refined, highly saturated tropical oil used as a cheap fat and coating base.
Almonds (safe) — Whole nut; healthy fats, vitamin E, and fiber.
HAZELNUTS (safe) — Whole nut; a genuine ingredient.
Hydrogenated coconut oil (harmful) — Industrially hardened fat; hydrogenation is exactly what you want to avoid.
honey (moderate) — Still added sugar — the 'real honey' claim doesn't change that it spikes blood sugar.
dried egg white (safe) — Used for aeration in fillings; benign.
Soy Lecithin (moderate) — Emulsifier that keeps the crumb soft and uniform; a processing additive.
Artificial flavour (concerning) — Lab-made flavor doing the work real ingredients should; contradicts the premium story.
Colour (concerning) — Added coloring to make it look richer than it is.
Potassium Sorbate (moderate) — Synthetic preservative to stop mold and yeast; generally recognized as safe but a chemical additive.
sodium benzoate (moderate) — Preservative; can form trace benzene with vitamin C (not an issue here) but adds to the additive load.
citric acid (safe) — Mild acidulant and preservative, generally harmless.
Tapioca Flour (moderate) — Refined starch used for crunch and structure; nutritionally empty.
raspberries (safe) — A small amount of real raspberry, mostly for flavor and label appeal.