Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Costa Coffee ultra-processed?

250 ml Coffee drinks Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Costa Coffee

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:

  • 8 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed coffee drinks

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

ingi water, coffee ext milk (fat 3.5%), sugar, acidity re bicarbonate, potassium citrate, stabilis carboxy methyl cellulose, carrageenan

Additives: E407 Carrageenan , E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose.

As written on the pack

ingi water, coffee ext milk (3,5 % fat) (48 %), sugar, acidity re bicarbonate, potassium citrate), stabilis carboxy methyl cellulose, carrageenan)

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.

  • E407 Carrageenan Carrageenan is a thickener and gelling agent extracted from red seaweed, used widely in dairy desserts, plant-based drinks and processed meats.
  • E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose Carboxymethyl cellulose is a thickener made by chemically modifying cellulose from wood or cotton.
1 ingredient that would only make it processed

Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.

  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 97 coffee drinks

From least to most processed, this one ranks 45th. 72% of the coffee drinks 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 97 coffee drinks, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5449000276025, last edited 18 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.