Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Aldi Specially Selected Belgian Chocolate Cake ultra-processed?

413 g Chocolate cakes Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Aldi Specially Selected Belgian Chocolate Cake

Yes, it's ultra-processed

  1. 1 Unprocessed
  2. 2 Kitchen staple
  3. 3 Processed
  4. 4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

  • 52 ingredients
  • 8 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed chocolate cakes

Less processed isn't automatically healthier, so compare the labels for what matters to you, such as sugar or salt.

Ingredients

Ultra-processing Processing signs are highlighted

Sugar, Wheat, Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Egg, Rapeseed Oil, Humectant (Glycerol), Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder 4%, Salted Butter (Butter, Salt), Butter, Glucose Syrup, Belgian Dark Chocolate 3%, Cocoa Mass, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Emulsufier (Lecithins, Flavouring), Belgian Marbled Dark and White Chocolate Curls 2.5%, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Mass, Whole Milk Powder, Whey Powder, Lactose, Butter Oil, Emulsifier (Lecithins, Vanilla Extract), Partially Inverted Sugar Syrup, Invert Sugar Syrup, Palm Oil, Raising Agents (Diphosphates, Sodium Carbonates), Emulsifiers (mono- Diglycerides of Fatty Acids, Diglycerides of Fatty Acids, Sodium Stearoyl-2-Lactylate, Polyglycerol Esters of Fatty Acids), Palm Stearin, Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Salt, Cane Molasses

Additives: E202 Potassium sorbate , E322 Lecithins , E422 Glycerol , E450 Diphosphates , E475 Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids , E481 Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate , E500 Sodium carbonates , E570 Fatty acids

As written on the pack

Sugar, Wheat, Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Pasteurised Egg, Rapeseed Oil, Humectant (Glycerol), Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder 4%, Salted Butter (Butter (Milk), Salt), Butter (Milk), Glucose Syrup, Belgian Dark Chocolate 3% (Cocoa Mass, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Emulsufier (Lecithins (Soya), Flavouring), Belgian Marbled Dark and White Chocolate Curls 2.5% (Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Mass, Whole Milk Powder, Whey Powder (Milk), Lactose (Milk), Butter Oil (Milk), Emulsifier (Lecithins (Soya), Vanilla Extract), Partially Inverted Sugar Syrup, Invert Sugar Syrup, Palm Oil, Raising Agents (Diphosphates, Sodium Carbonates), Emulsifiers (Mono Diglycerides of Fatty Acids, Diglycerides of Fatty Acids, Sodium Stearoyl-2-Lactylate, Polyglycerol Esters of Fatty Acids), Palm Stearin, Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Salt, Cane Molasses

What makes it ultra-processed

Cosmetic additives

Added to change how the food looks, feels or tastes, not to keep it safe. A hallmark of ultra-processed food.

  • E322 Lecithins Lecithins are fatty substances extracted mostly from soybeans, sunflower seeds or eggs, used as emulsifiers to keep fat and water mixed, for example in chocolate.
  • E422 Glycerol Glycerol is a sweet-tasting liquid used to keep products moist and soft.
  • E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
  • E475 Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
  • E481 Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
  • Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.
Show 2 more
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • Humectant Humectants are substances which prevent foods from drying out by counteracting the effect of an atmosphere having a low degree of humidity, or promote the dissolution of a powder in an aqueous medium.

Substances rarely used in home kitchens

Refined or extracted in factories, such as syrups made from starch or isolated proteins. The other hallmark of ultra-processed food.

  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Glucose syrup Glucose syrup is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Invert sugar Invert sugar is ordinary sugar split into glucose and fructose with acid or enzymes.
  • Lactose Lactose is milk sugar, crystallised industrially from whey, a by-product of cheese making.
  • Whey Whey is the liquid left over from cheese making, usually dried into a powder and used as a cheap source of milk solids, protein and lactose.
7 ingredients that would only make it processed

Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.

  • E202 Potassium sorbate Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
  • Butter Butter, the fat churned from cream.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.
  • Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 67 chocolate cakes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 62nd. 97% of the chocolate cakes here are ultra-processed.

Ranked by NOVA group, then by the number of ultra-processing signs, additives and ingredients. Our ordering, not part of NOVA.

All 67 chocolate cakes, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4088600564395, last edited 19 May 2026), available under the Open Database License. If something is wrong or the recipe has changed, you can correct it there.
  • Photo: Open Food Facts contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0.
  • The NOVA group is an automated estimate from crowdsourced data: a missing or mistyped ingredient can change it.
  • NOVA measures processing, not nutrition. For nutrition, Open Food Facts gives this product a Nutri-Score of E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.