Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Biona Vegan dark cocoa ultra-processed?

350 g Chocolate spreads Sold in the United Kingdom, Australia and 2 more countries

Pack of Biona Vegan dark cocoa

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:

  • 8 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed chocolate spreads

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

Cane Sugar, Sunflower Oil, Reduced Fat Cocoa Powder 12.5%, Cocoa butter 4.5%, Rice Syrup, Soya Lecithin, Bourbon Vanilla Extract, =

Additives: E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin

As written on the pack

Cane Sugar*, Sunflower Oil*, Reduced Fat Cocoa Powder* (12.5%), Cocoa butter* (4.5%), Rice Syrup Powder*, Emulsifier: Soya Lecithin*, Bourbon Vanilla Extract*. *= Certified Organic Ingredients.

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.
3 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.

  • 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 78 chocolate spreads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 11th. 94% of the chocolate spreads 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 78 chocolate spreads, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5032722306523, last edited 17 March 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.