Macheesmo

Welcome back to another issue of the blog-based game GUESS THE FOOD?! I’ll show you the nutrition and ingredients of a popular grocery story item and you try to guess what it is.

In this installment, I wanted to tackle a funny trend that I’ve noticed more and more recently which is organic sugar. Companies are doing all they can to piggyback on the organic train and basically trying to sell candy as healthier because it’s “organic.”

Even if something is organic, it can still not be great for you. Keep that in mind when shopping and be sure to check those labels.

Let’s dive into this one and see if you can guess the food!

Nutrition!

I’ll mention first as a big old hint that this particular food is marketed to kids. There’s not many of the thing in each serving hence the low calorie count.

As a parent, I actually LOVE this about this particular product and why I occasionally buy them.

But yea… when you look at the nutrition label, it’s pretty clear that this thing is mostly sugar. I was kinda surprised they didn’t toss some fiber in there, but nope. It’s basically sugar.

Easy enough!

Ingredients

Before we get started here, it’s important to recall the FDA definition of “Organic.” The label implies that that ingredient has met the National Organic Program standards. It doesn’t necessarily say anything about the health of that ingredient.

Okay, get ready to read the word Organic a lot.

Organic Tapioca Syrup – A common replacement for High Fructose Corn Syrup. Made from the Cassava root.

Organic Sugar – Sugar that is, well, organic.

Organic Apple Juice Concentrate – Boiled down apple juice.

Organic Tapioca Maltodextrin – More Tapioca business. Frequently used to thicken foods.

Organic Apple Puree – I guess the leftover apples before they make juice concentrate?

Organic Sweet Potato Juice – Who knew you could juice a sweet potato?!

Pectin – Frequently used as a thickener in jelly and jam.

Citric Acid – Has a wide range of uses from flavoring to emulsifier. Pretty much in everything.

Sodium Citrate – An emulsifier which I’m assuming is impossible to find in an organic form.

Ascorbic Acid – Vitamin C!

Natural Flavors – Who knows, but not organic!

Organic Sunflower Oil – There is clearly very little of this given how far it is down the ingredient list. Sunflower oil is generally considered one of the healthier oils out there.

Black Carrot Juice Concentrate (color) – Curveball: These are not black.

Organic Strawberry Juice Concentrate – This makes things taste like organic strawberries.

Organic Cherry Juice Concentrate – This makes things taste like organic cherries.

Organic Raspberry Juice Concentrate – This makes things taste like organic raspberries.

Organic Lemon Juice Concentrate – This makes things taste like organic lemons.

Organic Carnauba Wax – This makes things taste like organic carnauba — wait. No, this is wax used to harden and coat things.

Okay! Leave a comment with your guess! And make it organic!