This Pasta Sauce Brand Has Been Around For 140 Years, But It's Consumer Reports' Lowest-Rated Today

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If a company's been around for over a hundred years, it's safe to assume it's doing something right. Maybe it doesn't sell the absolute best product of its kind on the market, but it may provide something more affordable or nostalgic. This is all to say that Hunt's, which has been around for almost 140 years, has had plenty of time to get its pasta sauce right — and yet, if you ask Consumer Reports, it's the worst you'll find on grocery store shelves.

You may know Hunt's better for its ketchup (which is beloved by Patrick Mahomes) or the cans of diced tomatoes you dump into your pot of Oklahoma-style chili. But it also offers cans of pasta sauce which are, if nothing else, inexpensive; a 24-ounce can of Hunt's Pasta Sauce will only set you back $1.84. Unfortunately, this is a case of getting what you pay for. According to Consumer Reports, whose anonymous shoppers tested 40 kinds of tomato sauce, Hunt's Traditional came in dead last with a score of 39 out of 100. Nutritionally average (it received a 3 out of 5 for that metric), it got a paltry 2 out of 5 for its sensory score. 

"Smooth sauce with tomato paste like flavor," says Consumer Reports. "Distinct dried spices, slightly sour with a floral/perfumey note." (Personally, we read this in the withering sneer of the food critic from "Ratatouille.") The ingredient list for Hunt's Pasta Sauce is indeed less than inspiring. It's largely tomato puree and water augmented with purposefully vague "spices" and "natural flavors" as well as the infamous cheap sweetener high fructose corn syrup.

With pasta sauce, as with many other products, sometimes the cheap stuff really is noticeably worse than the rest. You'll notice, for instance, that Prego sauce is much less expensive than a high-quality brand like Rao's. That's because, much like Hunt's, Prego uses dried herbs and spices rather than fresh. In the same vein, it uses tomato puree rather than fresh tomatoes. Accordingly, Consumer Reports gave Prego Traditional an only slightly better score of 46, not far behind the similarly inexpensive Classico Family Favorite at 49.

As for the best of the best, Consumer Reports has two low-sodium sauces tied at the top of the pasta sauce ranking, with the health-conscious marinara offerings from The Silver Palate and Victoria both receiving a score of 81. (If you're surprised, bear in mind that Consumer Reports places as much emphasis on nutrition as it does taste.) If you'd like a premium sauce without totally breaking the bank (The Silver Palate and Victoria both go for well over $10 a jar), you can go for Rao's (which received a 72 and sells for $9) or Carbone (which received a 71 and sells for $7). If you're looking to save even more money, Great Value Marinara sells for $1.97 and received a respectable score of 64.