Is Cadbury Picnic ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 34 ingredients
- 11 additives
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Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
sugar (processing marker), peanuts, glucose syrup (ultra-processing marker), glucose-fructose syrup (ultra-processing marker), grapes, wheat flour (with added calcium, iron, niacin, thiamin), palm oil, cocoa butter (processing marker), whey (ultra-processing marker) (from milk), cocoa mass, skimmed milk, rice flour, milk fat, e442 (ultra-processing marker), sunflower lecithin (ultra-processing marker), e476 (ultra-processing marker), e471 (ultra-processing marker), soya lecithin (ultra-processing marker), salt (processing marker), barley malt extract, sodium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate, maize flour, calcium carbonate (ultra-processing marker), flavourings (ultra-processing marker), milk proteins (ultra-processing marker), milk chocolate (milk 14%), contains vegetable fats in addition to cocoa butter
Additives: E170 Calcium carbonates , E170i Calcium carbonate , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E442 Ammonium phosphatides , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E476 Polyglycerol polyricinoleate , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate , E503 Ammonium carbonates , E503ii Ammonium hydrogen carbonate
As written on the pack
sugar, peanuts, glucose syrup, glucose-fructose syrup, dried grapes, wheat flour (with added calcium, iron, niacin and thiamin), palm oil, cocoa butter, dried whey (from milk), cocoa mass, dried skimmed milk, rice flour, milk fat, emulsifiers (e442, sunflower lecithin, e476, e471, soya lecithin), salt, barley malt extract, raising agent (sodium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate), maize flour, anti-caking agent (calcium carbonate), flavourings, milk proteins, milk chocolate: milk solids 14% minimum,contains vegetable fats in addition to cocoa butter,, may contain nuts, egg,
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.
- E170 Calcium carbonates Calcium carbonate is chalk.
- 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.
- 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.
- E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
- E476 Polyglycerol polyricinoleate Polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) is an emulsifier made from castor oil.
- 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.
- Glucose syrup Glucose syrup is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
- Milk proteins Milk proteins are proteins separated from milk, such as caseinates and whey protein concentrates, added to adjust texture or raise protein content.
- 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.
- Fructose Fructose is the sugar found naturally in fruit and honey, but as an ingredient it is refined industrially, mostly from corn starch.
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.
- Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
- 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.
Among 1,328 bars
From least to most processed, this one ranks 1250th. 89% of the bars here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000312002131, last edited 29 September 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.
- General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.