Simple Truth Meatless Crispy Tenders — ENGINEERED

Munch or Dump rates Simple Truth Meatless Crispy Tenders by Simple Truth ENGINEERED — score 30/90.

This is the plant-based chik'n product in the Simple Truth lineup, and it's built like industrial food: isolated soy and wheat proteins, a breaded starch-and-oil shell, gums, yeast extract, and two separate sugars. It delivers real protein, but the formula is engineered to mimic a chicken nugget, not to be a whole food.

Why this verdict

• Hyper-palatable snack triad: sugar + refined oil + refined starch
• Over eighteen ingredients dominated by isolated proteins and starches
• Two added sweeteners — cane sugar and evaporated cane syrup
• Modified vegetable gum and yeast extract signal industrial formulation
• NOVA 4 ultra-processed meat analogue

Ingredients (9)

• Soy Protein Concentrate (moderate) — Isolated protein that drives the protein number; heavily processed away from whole soybeans.
• Enriched wheat flour (moderate) — Refined breading flour stripped of the grain's fiber and nutrients, then synthetically re-fortified.
• Cane Sugar (moderate) — Added sugar in the breadcrumb — one of two distinct sweeteners in the list.
• Evaporated cane syrup (moderate) — A second added sugar; stacking sweeteners keeps any single sugar off the top of the list.
• Expeller pressed sunflower/canola oil (moderate) — Refined frying oil that adds fat and calories to the breaded shell.
• Textured wheat protein (moderate) — Extruded wheat gluten used to build a meaty, fibrous chew — a hallmark of engineered meat analogues.
• Modified vegetable gum (moderate) — Industrial binder/texturizer with no place in a home kitchen.
• YEAST EXTRACT (moderate) — Natural source of free glutamate used as a savory flavor enhancer — a mild sign of engineered taste.
• Natural flavor (moderate) — Nonspecific flavoring; the only vague, non-whole ingredient in the jar.

Healthier alternatives

• Falafel Burger by Whole Foods Market
• Tofu nature bio