Variety Cheesecake — BULLSHIT

Munch or Dump rates Variety Cheesecake by The Father's Table Llc. BULLSHIT — score 0/90.

The brand sells "natural vanilla" and "no artificial additives," but the strawberry layer is dyed with FD&C Red 40 & Blue 1, flavored with artificial flavor, and the vanilla is synthetic vanillin. A 50+ ingredient lab build hiding behind a from-scratch image.

Why this verdict

• "Natural" / no-artificial branding, but contains artificial flavor and FD&C Red 40 & Blue 1
• Advertises "natural vanilla" yet the chocolate uses synthetic vanillin
• Sugar, oils and margarine sit near the top of a 50+ ingredient list
• Stacked emulsifiers (polysorbate 80, mono & diglycerides, soy lecithin) and modified starches
• Ultra-processed (NOVA 4) dessert dressed up as from-scratch

Ingredients (20)

• Cream Cheese (safe) — Genuine dairy base; the carob bean gum inside it is a minor thickener.
• Sugar (moderate) — Added for sweetness, can contribute to calorie content.
• Canola and/or Palm Oil (moderate) — Refined oils added for richness; palm is high in saturated fat.
• Margarine (Palm/Soybean oil, soy lecithin, beta carotene, vitamin A palmitate) (concerning) — Processed fat blend with emulsifier and added colorant.
• WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR (safe) — Adds a little fiber and whole-grain content.
• Enriched bleached wheat flour (moderate) — Refined flour with dough conditioners.
• Artificial Flavor) (moderate) — Lab-made flavor doing the 'creme' work.
• FD&C Red 40 & Blue 1 (concerning) — Synthetic petroleum-derived dyes linked to hyperactivity in sensitive kids; the clearest contradiction of the no-artificial claim.
• Modified Corn Starch (moderate) — Thickener/stabilizer that gives the sauce body.
• VANILLIN (moderate) — Synthetic vanilla flavor — the lone artificial additive in an otherwise recognizable list.
• Glucose / Invert Sugar / Brown Sugar / Molasses (concerning) — Multiple additional sweetener sources layered on top of the sugar.
• caramel color (caution) — Artificial coloring for a browned look, no nutritional purpose.
• Carrageenan (moderate) — Seaweed-derived stabilizer; some people report digestive sensitivity.
• POLYSORBATE 80 (caution) — Synthetic emulsifier used to mimic creaminess cheaply.
• Mono & diglycerides (caution) — Emulsifier for a smooth, stable freeze.
• modified tapioca starch (moderate) — Processed thickener that gives the glossy body.
• Xanthan / Guar / Locust Bean / Cellulose Gums (moderate) — Stacked texture-stabilizing gums throughout the formula.
• Potassium Sorbate (moderate) — Preservative for shelf life.
• Apocarotenal (color) (moderate) — Added orange-red colorant for cosmetic effect only.
• Eggs (Dried) / Milk solids (safe) — Real dairy and egg components that give the base body.