Saranac Black Cherry Cream Soda — DUMP

Munch or Dump rates Saranac Black Cherry Cream Soda by F. X. Matt Brewing Co. DUMP — score 20/90.

A high-fructose-corn-syrup soda dressed up as hand-crafted heritage soda, colored with two artificial dyes and flavored artificially. No real cherries, no cream.

Why this verdict

• High fructose corn syrup is the #1 sweetener (~44g sugar per bottle) — empty fast-absorbing calories
• Two artificial dyes (FD&C Red #40, Blue #1) for color, no real fruit
• Flavor is artificial — no actual cherries or cream despite the name
• Sodium benzoate preservative plus caramel color make this a textbook ultra-processed soda

Ingredients (8)

• Carbonated Water (safe) — Plain fizzy water, the harmless base.
• High Fructose Corn Syrup (concerning) — Industrially processed sweetener linked to fatty liver and metabolic strain when consumed regularly; flatly contradicts the 'all natural' positioning.
• Natural & Artificial Flavors (moderate) — Lab-made flavoring standing in for real black cherry and cream — no actual fruit or dairy.
• citric acid (safe) — Common acidulant for tartness and preservation; safe in these amounts.
• sodium benzoate (moderate) — Preservative; can form trace benzene with vitamin C and a marker of ultra-processing.
• caramel color (moderate) — Artificial-adjacent coloring used purely for cosmetic browning.
• FD&C Red 40 (concerning) — Synthetic petroleum-derived dye; purely cosmetic and linked to hyperactivity in sensitive children.
• FD&C Blue #1 (concerning) — Second synthetic petroleum dye, purely cosmetic with the same artificial-color concerns.