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 17/90.

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 (moderate) — Added for sweetness, can contribute to calorie content.
milk ingredients (moderate) — Dairy base for the milk chocolate; fine in moderation.
Corn Syrup (caution) — Added sugar baked into the crust.
Cocoa Butter (safe) — The natural fat of the cacao bean.
Cocoa Mass (safe) — Real chocolate liquor.
brown sugar (caution) — Second added sugar in the flavor base.
Palm Kernel Oil (moderate) — Extremely saturated tropical fat used for the fudge coating's snap.
Almonds (safe) — Whole nut, healthy fats, protein, fiber, and vitamin E.
HAZELNUTS (safe) — Whole nut, unsaturated fats.
Hydrogenated coconut oil (harmful) — Industrially hardened fat; hydrogenation is exactly what you want to avoid.
honey (moderate) — A pure natural sweetener - roughly 80% sugars; clean but calorically dense, use sparingly.
dried egg white (safe) — Used for aeration in fillings; benign.
Soy Lecithin (safe) — Common emulsifier, generally benign in these amounts.
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) — Preservative for shelf life.
sodium benzoate (caution) — Chemical preservative for shelf life.
citric acid (safe) — Acidity and tartness adjuster.
Tapioca Flour (moderate) — Refined starch binder.
raspberries (safe) — Whole frozen fruit; very high in fiber and vitamin C.