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Is Chupa Chups Sparkling Melon & Cream ultra-processed?

11.66 FL OZ (345ml) Flavored sparkling waters Sold in the United States, France and 2 more countries

Pack of Chupa Chups Sparkling Melon & Cream

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:

  • 16 ingredients
  • 5 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed flavored sparkling waters

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

purified water, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, fermented milk, skimmed milk powder, carbon dioxide, melon, soybean polysaccharide, artificial flavoring (melon flavor, melon soda flavor, milk flavor), citric acid, phosphoric acid, beta-carotene, spirulina color

Additives: E160a Carotene , E160ai Beta-carotene , E290 Carbon dioxide , E330 Citric acid , E338 Phosphoric acid

As written on the pack

PURIFIED WATER, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, SUGAR, FERMENTED MILK, SKIMMED MILK POWDER, CARBON DIOXIDE, MELON JUICE CONCENTRATED, SOYBEAN POLYSACCHARIDE, ARTIFICIAL FLAVORING (MELON FLAVOR, MELON SODA FLAVOR, MILK FLAVOR), CITRIC ACID, PHOSPHORIC ACID, BETA-CAROTENE, SPIRULINA COLOR

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.
  • E290 Carbon dioxide 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.
  • 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.
  • High fructose corn syrup High-fructose corn syrup is made from corn starch: enzymes break it down to glucose and convert part of that into fructose, giving a syrup about as sweet as table sugar.
  • Fructose Fructose is the sugar found naturally in fruit and honey, but as an ingredient it is refined industrially, mostly from corn starch.
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.

  • Sodas Products in the category "Sodas" are at least group 3.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 69 flavored sparkling waters

From least to most processed, this one ranks 68th. 90% of the flavored sparkling waters 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 69 flavored sparkling waters, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 8801069411255, last edited 12 June 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.