The Kitchen Test: Why Every Ingredient Should Pass

Would you bake with carrageenan? We wouldn't either. 

When we started Manna, we created a simple rule that guides every recipe: the Kitchen Test. If we wouldn't stock an ingredient in our home kitchen, it doesn't belong in our treats.

When you next walk into a supermarket and pick up a "healthy" snack bar, count how many ingredients you can't pronounce, let alone find at your local market. Methylcellulose. Sodium benzoate. Natural flavours (which, ironically, can contain up to 100 different synthetic compounds).

Now look at a Manna brownie. Whole beetroots, whole dates, ground almonds, raw cocoa. Every ingredient passes the Kitchen Test because real nutrition doesn't need to hide behind chemistry.

The food industry has convinced us that preservation, texture, and shelf life require laboratory solutions. But here's what they don't tell you: these shortcuts often strip away the very nutrients that make food nourishing in the first place. The energy we need comes from real food, not synthetic substitutes our bodies struggle to process.

When you choose whole ingredients, you're not just avoiding additives - you're embracing food that works with your body, not against it: natural sugars that provide sustained energy, healthy fats that actually satisfy, and fibre that keeps you full. Optimizing your nutrition can dramatically improve your energy levels and overall wellbeing.

Your Kitchen Test Challenge: Next time you shop, read the ingredient list on your favorite treats. Ask yourself: "Would I cook with this at home?" If the answer is no, maybe it's time to find an alternative that passes the test.

Because the best treats aren't just healthier, they're made with ingredients you'd proudly serve to the people you love most.