Valentina Salsa Picante — OKAY

Munch or Dump rates Valentina Salsa Picante by Valentina OKAY — score 60/90.

A simple chili-and-vinegar hot sauce with almost no calories. The only knock is one synthetic preservative, sodium benzoate.

Why this verdict

• Short 6-ingredient list, mostly recognizable whole foods
• Chili peppers and vinegar are the base, not sugar or oil
• Essentially zero calories, sugar, and fat
• One synthetic preservative (sodium benzoate) keeps it from being fully clean

Ingredients (6)

• Water (safe) — Bulking agent that keeps this a low-fat spread; inert.
• Chili peppers (safe) — Real whole chilis; the source of heat and capsaicin, which is fine in food amounts.
• vinegar (safe) — The acid used to curdle the milk into curds. Traditional, harmless coagulant.
• Salt (moderate) — Adds sodium; fine in moderation but the main reason to watch portion size.
• Spices (safe) — Real seasoning blend; the flavor backbone, no additives.
• sodium benzoate (moderate) — Synthetic preservative; can form trace benzene when combined with certain acids, and it's a processing marker.

Healthier alternatives

• Dank Sauce (Spicy Nopal Cactus)
• Cholula Salsa Picante Original
• Tabasco Original Red Pepper Hot Sauce
• Crystal Louisiana Hot Sauce Red Pepper
• Tabasco Original Red Pepper Sauce