Tic Tac Candy Cane Mints — DUMP

Name: Tic Tac Candy Cane Mints
Brand: Tic Tac

Munch or Dump rates Tic Tac Candy Cane Mints by Tic Tac DUMP — score 17/90.

These are tiny sugar pellets dressed up as breath mints. Sugar is the #1 ingredient, backed by maltodextrin, modified rice starch, a second sweetener (sucralose), artificial flavor and artificial color.

Why this verdict

Sugar is the #1 ingredient — these are ~90% sugar by weight
Two sweeteners stacked: sugar plus sucralose
Maltodextrin and modified rice starch are refined-starch fillers
Artificial flavors and carmine coloring push it firmly into NOVA 4
Carnauba wax and magnesium stearate are industrial coating/anti-caking aids

Ingredients (10)

Sugar (moderate) — Added for sweetness, can contribute to calorie content.
Maltodextrin (moderate) — Highly processed starch-derived carbohydrate used as a carrier and texturizer; spikes blood sugar readily.
rice starch (moderate) — Another refined starch adding to the carbohydrate base.
gum arabic (safe) — Natural gum used to bind seasoning to the chip.
Natural and Artificial Flavors (caution) — Undisclosed lab flavoring - the artificial half signals engineering.
MAGNESIUM STEARATE (moderate) — Anti-caking/flow agent; harmless in these amounts but a processing tell.
carnauba wax (safe) — Plant wax used to keep the bears from sticking.
Sucralose (moderate) — Artificial sweetener; unexpected in a bakery pie and a second sweetness source.
carmine (moderate) — Insect-derived red color, a known allergen for some.
beta carotene (safe) — Natural color source rather than an artificial dye.