Is Boulder Brands Usa Inc. Smart balance light ultra-processed?

15 oz Salted spreads Sold in the United States

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Colour
Emulsifier
Flavouring

19 ingredients
5 additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed salted 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

water, vegetable oil blend (palm, canola, flaxseed, and olive oils), less than 2 percent of (salt), natural and artificial flavors (ultra-processing marker), vitamin a palmitate, beta-carotene (color (ultra-processing marker)), vegetable monoglycerides and sorbitan ester of fatty acids (emulsifier (ultra-processing marker)), and potassium sorbate, lactic acid, tbhq, calcium disodium edta (to protect freshness)

Additives: E202 Potassium sorbate , E270 Lactic acid , E319 Tertiary-butylhydroquinone (tbhq) , E385 Calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate , E570 Fatty acids

As written on the pack

water, vegetable oil blend (palm, canola, flaxseed, and olive oils), less than 2 percent of: salt, natural and artificial flavors, vitamin a palmitate, beta-carotene (color), vegetable monoglycerides and sorbitan ester of fatty acids (emulsifier), and potassium sorbate, lactic acid, tbhq, calcium disodium edta (to protect freshness),

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.

Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.
Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 533 salted spreads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 439th. 53% of the salted 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 533 salted spreads, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0033776011536, last edited 23 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 D (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.