WHAT'S IN STUFFING MIXES?
Stuffing Mixes — Many are very Far From Homemade™
Information updated September 2024
According to Statista 2024, Kraft Heinz Stove Top Stuffing Mix is the #1 Brand in the U.S.
KRAFT HEINZ STOVE TOP STUFFING CONTAINS 8 INGREDIENTS BANNED AT WHOLE FOODS. Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Turkey contains High Fructose Corn Syrup as the #2 ingredient. (Source for Stove Top ingredients: Kraft Heinz Web site 9/24; Source for Banned Ingredients: Amazon Whole Foods Web site 9/24)
Ingredients are always listed in descending order of amount. High Fructose Corn Syrup is banned at Whole Foods who cites it as “Unacceptable in food”.
Kraft Heinz’s Stove Top Stuffing Mix contains other ingredients we would never use at home to make stuffing including Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Caramel Color, Disodium Inosinate and Disodium Guanylate which are flavor enhancers, Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT).
CAMPBELL’S-OWNED PEPPERIDGE FARM STUFFING IS ALSO BANNED AT WHOLE FOODS. (Sources: Campbell’s Pepperidge Farm Web site 9/24: Amazon Whole Foods Web site 9/24; U.S. FDA 2024) Pepperidge Farm Stuffing contains two FDA-recognized Chemical Preservatives: Calcium Propionate and Ascorbic Acid, two added sweeteners, 1-2 added “Vegetable Oils” and Soy Lecithin.
Once upon a time, Pepperidge Farm Stuffing contained no commercial ingredients when it was created by the founder of Pepperidge Farm, Mrs. Margaret Rudkin >> seen below left. Now, it is banned at Whole Foods. (Source: Historical Pepperidge Farm Stuffing Photograph + Package)
ADDED SWEETENERS: Shown below, many commercial Stuffing Mixes include added sweeteners in different forms. (Sources: Brand Web sites, Whole Foods Web site, packages on Instacart 9/24)
Shown below, GENERAL MILLS BETTY CROCKER HOMESTYLE STUFFING AND BELL’S TRADITIONAL STUFFING CONTAIN NUMEROUS INGREDIENTS Not In Kitchen™ AND BOTH ARE BANNED AT WHOLE FOODS.
(Sources: Bell Foods Web site 9/23; General Mills Betty Crocker Package on Instacart 9/24; Amazon Whole Foods 9/24)
Seen below, MARS-OWNED BEN’S ORIGINAL CLASSIC CORNBREAD STUFFING MIX IS BANNED AT WHOLE FOODS. This Ben’s Original Stuffing contains multiple ingredients Not In Kitchen like Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Hydrolyzed Proteins, Yeast Extract, Calcium Propionate and added commercial Natural Flavors. (Sources: Mars Foodservices Web site 9/24; Amazon Whole Foods Web site 9/24)
Shown below, WHOLE FOODS 365 STUFFING MIXES CONTAIN ADDED INGREDIENTS such as Sweeteners, Oils, Yeast Extract and Organic Natural Flavor in the Chicken flavored one which has no real Chicken listed in the ingredients. (Source: Amazon Whole Foods Web site 9/24).
Below is Olivia’s Traditional Stuffing Mix with no Commercial Flavor Enhancers, Bleach, Sweeteners, Chemical Preservatives or Hydrogenated Oils:
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And we leave you with a glance at a couple of old print ads for stuffing:
