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Hershey's Syrup
Photo: Open Food Facts contributors (CC BY-SA)

Chocolate sauce

Hershey's Syrup

48 oz

Bad out of 100 High confidence
  • Ultra-processed
  • High in sugar
  • Contains added sugars
  • Contains emulsifiers studied for gut effects
  • Contains artificial flavors
  • May contain traces of 1,4-dioxane
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Why it scores 15

Hershey's Syrup scores 15 out of 100 (Bad) under GoodSwap’s published rules. What moved the score most:

  1. High fructose corn syrup: An added sugar. Strong
  2. Corn syrup: An added sugar. Strong
  3. Ultra-processed (NOVA 4): Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. Strong

Every line of the math is on The Receipt below, with its evidence tier and sources.

The Receipt

Hershey's Syrup

START100

Ingredients

  • High fructose corn syrup
    Strong An added sugar. [1][2][3][4]
  • Corn syrup
    Strong An added sugar. [1][2][3]
  • Sugar
    Strong An added sugar. [1][2][3]
subtotal−50

Processing

  • Ultra-processed (NOVA 4)
    Strong Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. [5]
  • 4 kinds of ultra-processing markers
    Emerging Industrial additive classes found: emulsifier, flavoring, industrial sugar or starch hydrolysate and thickener, stabilizer or gelling agent. [5]
subtotal−22.5

Nutrition per 100 g

  • Sugars 52.6 g / 100 g
    Strong Very high in sugar. [1]
  • Energy 237 kcal / 100 g
    Info Energy-dense for its weight. [2]
  • Fiber 3.2 g / 100 g
    Strong A good source of fiber. [2]
subtotal−13
TOTAL 15Bad

100 − 85.5 = 14.5 → 15

Can’t score above 79. Contains high fructose corn syrup, an ingredient of high concern. [1][2][3][4]

Can’t score above 79. High in sugars (above the front-of-pack "high" level). [6]

GTIN 00034000000470 · 2026-08-06

score v1.3.0 · kb 2026.10.11

High confidence

Same product, same score. Every time.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy237 kcal
Fat0 g
Saturated fat0.5 g
Trans fat0 g
Carbohydrates57.9 g
Sugars52.6 g
Added sugars52.6 g
Fiber3.2 g
Protein0 g
Salt0.1 g

Serving: 1 cda (19 g)

Ingredients

High Moderate Not recognized Tap an ingredient for its evidence and rules.
Label text, as published

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CORN SYRUP, WATER, COCOA, SUGAR, POTASSIUM SORBATE, XANTHAN GUM, SALT, MONO-AND DIGLYCERIDES, POLYSORBATE 60, VANILLIN, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR

Allergens and diets

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
  • Palm-oil-free

Always check the package: recipes change.

Packaging

Plastic, Hdpe 2 high density polyethylene

Context only: no points in v1.

Healthiest chocolate sauce in the US

More from Hershey's

Sources

  1. Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children

    World Health Organization · Mar 4, 2015 · Agency assessment

    “In both adults and children, WHO recommends reducing the intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake”

    who.int

  2. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030

    U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture · January 2026 · Regulator

    “Limit foods and beverages that include artificial flavors, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives, and low-calorie non-nutritive sweeteners.”

    cdn.realfood.gov

  3. Added and free sugars should be as low as possible

    European Food Safety Authority · Feb 28, 2022 · Agency assessment

    “Sugar consumption is a known cause of dental caries.”

    efsa.europa.eu

  4. 21 CFR 184.1866 High fructose corn syrup

    Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), U.S. Office of the Federal Register · Mar 24, 2023 · Law

    “a sweet, nutritive saccharide mixture containing either approximately 42 or 55 percent fructose”

    ecfr.gov

  5. Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them

    Public Health Nutrition · April 2019 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  6. Guide to creating a front of pack (FoP) nutrition label for pre-packed products sold through retail outlets

    Department of Health and Social Care / Food Standards Agency (GOV.UK) · Nov 8, 2016 · Regulator

    “Table 3: Criteria for drinks (per 100ml)”

    assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

  7. Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses

    BMJ · Feb 28, 2024 · Peer-reviewed

    “Greater exposure to ultra-processed food was associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, especially cardiometabolic, common mental disorder, and mortality outcomes.”

    doi.org

  8. Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake

    Cell Metabolism · July 2019 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  9. Dietary emulsifiers impact the mouse gut microbiota promoting colitis and metabolic syndrome

    Nature · Mar 5, 2015 · Peer-reviewed

    “carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate-80, induced low-grade inflammation and obesity/metabolic syndrome in wild-type hosts and promoted robust colitis in mice predisposed to this disorder.”

    doi.org

  10. Randomized Controlled-Feeding Study of Dietary Emulsifier Carboxymethylcellulose Reveals Detrimental Impacts on the Gut Microbiota and Metabolome

    Gastroenterology · March 2022 · Peer-reviewed

    “Relative to control subjects, CMC consumption modestly increased postprandial abdominal discomfort and perturbed gut microbiota composition in a way that reduced its diversity.”

    doi.org

  11. Food additive emulsifiers and risk of cardiovascular disease in the NutriNet-Santé cohort: prospective cohort study

    BMJ · Sep 6, 2023 · Peer-reviewed

    “This study found positive associations between risk of CVD and intake of five individual and two groups of food additive emulsifiers widely used in industrial foods.”

    doi.org

  12. 1,4-Dioxane in Cosmetics: A Manufacturing Byproduct

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration · Regulator

    “1,4-dioxane forms as a byproduct during the manufacturing process of certain cosmetic ingredients.”

    fda.gov

  13. Agents Classified by the IARC Monographs, Volumes 1–142 (List of Classifications)

    International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO) · IARC

    monographs.iarc.who.int