Food
Hostess Jumbo Honey Bun Iced
4 oz
Score
- Ultra-processed
- High in saturated fat
- Contains added sugars
- Contains emulsifiers studied for gut effects
- Contains palm oil
- Seed-oil free
- No synthetic dyes
Why it scores 5
Hostess Jumbo Honey Bun Iced scores 5 out of 100 (Bad) under GoodSwap’s published rules. What moved the score most:
- minus 20 points Sugar: An added sugar. Strong
- minus 20 points High fructose corn syrup: An added sugar. Strong
- minus 18 points 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.
Better snack cakes and brownies
-
Iced Lemon Loaf Oats Overnight Less saturated fat · No gut-studied emulsifiers Score 41 out of 100 , 36 points higher -
Boston Creme Honey Bun Mrs. Freshley's · 5 oz No added sugars · No gut-studied emulsifiers Score 45 out of 100 , 40 points higher -
Honey Buns Nickles · 21 oz/595 g Less saturated fat · No palm oil Score 24 out of 100 , 19 points higher -
Jumbo honey bun iced Duchess · 57 oz No calcium propionate · No sorbic acid Score 16 out of 100 , 11 points higher -
Apple cinnamon Honey bun Mrs freshly No palm oil · No high fructose corn syrup Score 21 out of 100 , 16 points higher
The same kind of product, at least 10 points higher, sold in the US. Never paid placements.
The Receipt
Jumbo Honey Bun Iced
Ingredients
- Sugar minus 20 points
- High fructose corn syrup minus 20 points
- Palm oil minus 2.5 points
- Wheat gluten minus 1.5 points
- Mono- and diglycerides minus 1.5 points
- Calcium propionate minus 1.5 points
- Sorbic acid minus 0.5 points
- Soy lecithin minus 0.5 points
Processing
- Ultra-processed (NOVA 4) minus 18 points
- 4 kinds of ultra-processing markers minus 4.5 points
Nutrition per 100 g
- Sugars 22.1 g / 100 g minus 11 points
- Saturated fat 11.5 g / 100 g minus 9 points
- Salt 0.7 g / 100 g minus 3 points
- Energy 480 kcal / 100 g minus 2 points
100 − 95.5 = 4.5 → 5
Can’t score above 79. Contains sugar, an ingredient of high concern. [1][2][3][4]
Can’t score above 79. High in fat and saturated fat (above the front-of-pack "high" level). [14]
Nutrition per 100 g
| Energy | 480 kcal |
|---|---|
| Fat | 26 g |
| Saturated fat | 11.5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 57 g |
| Sugars | 22.1 g |
| Added sugars | 22.1 g |
| Fiber | 2.7 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Salt | 0.7 g |
Serving: 1 honey bun (100 g)
Ingredients
- enriched wheat flour
- water
- sugar (high concern)
- palm oil
- high fructose corn syrup (high concern)
- yeast
- wheat gluten
- salt
- soy flour
- monoglycerides
- calcium propionate
- sorbic acid
- calcium sulfate
- ammonium sulfate
- calcium carbonate
- soy lecithin
- annatto extract
- turmeric extract
- enzymes
Label text, as published
enriched wheat flour, water, sugar, palm oil, high fructose corn syrup, yeast, contains 2% or less of each of the following: wheat gluten, salt, soy flour, monoglycerides, calcium propionate, sorbic acid, calcium sulfate, ammonium sulfate, calcium carbonate, soy lecithin, annatto extract, turmeric extract, enzymes
Allergens and diets
Contains: Soy, Wheat, Gluten
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Not gluten-free
- Not palm-oil-free
Always check the package: recipes change.
More from Hostess
Sources
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Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children
“In both adults and children, WHO recommends reducing the intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake”
who.int
-
Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030
“Limit foods and beverages that include artificial flavors, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives, and low-calorie non-nutritive sweeteners.”
cdn.realfood.gov
-
Added and free sugars should be as low as possible
“Sugar consumption is a known cause of dental caries.”
efsa.europa.eu
-
21 CFR 184.1866 High fructose corn syrup
“a sweet, nutritive saccharide mixture containing either approximately 42 or 55 percent fructose”
ecfr.gov
-
Saturated fatty acid and trans-fatty acid intake for adults and children: WHO guideline
“WHO recommends that adults and children reduce saturated fatty acid intake to 10% of total energy intake (strong recommendation).”
who.int
-
Process contaminants in vegetable oils and foods
“The highest levels of GE, as well as 3-MCPD and 2-MCPD (including esters) were found in palm oils and palm fats, followed by other oils and fats.”
efsa.europa.eu
-
“Glycidyl fatty acid esters, expressed as glycidol”
eur-lex.europa.eu
-
“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
-
Re-evaluation of mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids (E 471) as food additives
“The available studies did not raise any concern with regard to genotoxicity.”
doi.org
-
11. List of Permitted Preservatives (Lists of Permitted Food Additives)
“B.2 Butylated Hydroxyanisole n/a (a) Active dry yeasts (a) Preservative (a) 1,000 ppm n/a”
canada.ca
-
“By applying a default uncertainty factor of 100, the Panel established a group ADI expressed as 11 mg sorbic acid/kg bw per day for sorbic acid (E 200) and its potassium salt (E 202).”
doi.org
-
“For adults, WHO recommends less than 2000 mg/day of sodium (equivalent to less than 5 g/day salt), or just under a teaspoon.”
who.int
-
“Table 3: Criteria for drinks (per 100ml)”
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
-
“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
-
Dietary emulsifiers impact the mouse gut microbiota promoting colitis and metabolic syndrome
“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
-
“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