Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Bundaberg Root beer ultra-processed?

375 ml Sodas Sold in Ireland

Pack of Bundaberg Root beer

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:

  • 27 ingredients
  • 8 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed sodas

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

Carbonated Water, Cane Sugar, Root Beer Brew (Water, Cane Sugar, Molasses, Ginger Root, Sarsaparilla Root, Liquorice Root Extract, Vanilla Bean, Yeast), Colour (e150d), Flavourings, Acids (Malic Acid, Citric Acid), Preservatives (Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate), Thickeners (Xanthan Gum, Pectin), Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid), Sweetener (Sucratose)

Additives: E150d Sulphite ammonia caramel , E202 Potassium sorbate , E211 Sodium benzoate , E296 Malic acid , E300 Ascorbic acid , E330 Citric acid , E415 Xanthan gum , E440 Pectins

As written on the pack

Carbonated Water, Cane Sugar, Root Beer Brew (Water, Cane Sugar, Molasses, Ginger Root, Sarsaparilla Root, Liquorice Root Extract, Vanilla Bean Extract, Yeast), Colour (E150d), Flavourings, Acids (Malic Acid, Citric Acid), Preservatives (Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate), Thickeners (Xanthan Gum, Pectin), Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid), Sweetener (Sucratose)

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.

  • E150d Sulphite ammonia caramel Sulphite ammonia caramel is the dark brown colour in colas and many sauces, made by heating sugars with sulphite and ammonia compounds.
  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • E440 Pectins Pectins are gelling agents extracted from citrus peel or apple pomace.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • Sweetener Sweeteners give sweetness with few or no calories, many at hundreds of times the strength of sugar.
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  • Thickener Thickeners, often gums or modified starches, make liquids more viscous so that a product feels richer than its ingredients alone would make it.
4 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.
  • Sodas Products in the category "Sodas" are at least group 3.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 612 sodas

From least to most processed, this one ranks 580th. 94% of the sodas 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 612 sodas, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 9311493003241, last edited 18 April 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.