Is Cadbury Mini Eggs ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 24 ingredients
- 6 additives
- Nutri-Score E
Less processed easter eggs
Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
sugar (processing marker), milk, cocoa butter (processing marker), cocoa mass, skimmed milk powder (processing marker), whey permeate powder (ultra-processing marker) (from milk), vegetable fats (processing marker) (palm, shea), milk fat, modified starches (ultra-processing marker) (maize, tapioca), emulsifiers (ultra-processing marker) (e442 (ultra-processing marker), e476 (ultra-processing marker)), flavourings (ultra-processing marker), maltodextrin (ultra-processing marker), colours (ultra-processing marker) (anthocyanins (ultra-processing marker), beetroot red (ultra-processing marker), paprika extract (ultra-processing marker), carotenes (ultra-processing marker))
Additives: E160a Carotene , E160c Paprika extract , E162 Beetroot red , E163 Anthocyanins , E442 Ammonium phosphatides , E476 Polyglycerol polyricinoleate
As written on the pack
sugar, milk, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, skimmed milk powder, whey permeate powder (from milk), vegetable fats (palm, shea), milk fat, modified starches (maize, tapioca), emulsifiers (e442, e476), flavourings, maltodextrin, colours (anthocyanins, beetroot red, paprika extract, carotenes).
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.
- E160a Carotene Carotenes are orange-yellow pigments, either synthesised or extracted from carrots, algae or palm oil.
- E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
- E162 Beetroot red Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
- E163 Anthocyanins Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
- E442 Ammonium phosphatides 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.
- E476 Polyglycerol polyricinoleate Polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) is an emulsifier made from castor oil.
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- 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.
- Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.
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.
- Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
- 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.
5 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Among 21 easter eggs
From least to most processed, this one ranks 21st. 90% of the easter eggs here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 7622210882974, last edited 27 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.