Is Ben & Jerry's The Tonight Dough ultra-processed?

473 ml Ice cream tubs Sold in the United States and Mexico

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Flavouring
Glucose
Cocoa
E322 Lecithins
E407 Carrageenan
E412 Guar gum

31 ingredients
6 additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed ice cream tubs

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

Cream, liquid sugar (processing marker) (sugar, water), skim milk, water, wheat flour, sugar (processing marker), cocoa (ultra-processing marker), brown sugar (processing marker), canola oil, egg yolks, peanut butter, corn syrup (ultra-processing marker), eggs, cocoa (ultra-processing marker), butter (processing marker) (cream, salt (processing marker)), coconut oil (processing marker), soybean oil (processing marker), salt (processing marker), chocolate liquor (ultra-processing marker), natural flavors (ultra-processing marker), tapioca starch (processing marker), guar gum (ultra-processing marker), baking soda, soy lecithin (ultra-processing marker), molasses (processing marker), cocoa butter (ultra-processing marker), carrageenan (ultra-processing marker)

Additives: E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E407 Carrageenan , E412 Guar gum , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate

As written on the pack

Cream, liquid sugar (sugar, water), skim milk, water, wheat flour, sugar, cocoa (processed with alkali), brown sugar, canola oil, egg yolks, peanut butter (peanuts), corn syrup, eggs, cocoa, butter (cream, salt), coconut oil, soybean oil, salt, chocolate liquor, natural flavors, tapioca starch, guar gum, baking soda, soy lecithin, molasses, cocoa butter, carrageenan.

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.
E407 Carrageenan Carrageenan is a thickener and gelling agent extracted from red seaweed, used widely in dairy desserts, plant-based drinks and processed meats.
E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.
Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

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.
Cocoa An ingredient mostly produced industrially and rarely used in home kitchens.

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.

Ice creams Products in the category "Ice creams" are at least group 3.
Butter Butter, the fat churned from cream.
Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
Vegetable fat Vegetable fats are oils that are solid at room temperature, such as palm or coconut fat.
Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 147 ice cream tubs

From least to most processed, this one ranks 70th. 90% of the ice cream tubs 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 147 ice cream tubs, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0076840485116, last edited 21 August 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 D (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.