Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Diet Mountain Dew ultra-processed?

1 Diet sodas Sold in the United States

Pack of Diet Mountain Dew

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:

  • 19 ingredients
  • 10 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed diet 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, concentrated orange juice, citric acid, natural flavor, potassium benzoate (preserves freshness), citrus pectin, aspartame, potassium citrate, caffeine, sodium citrate, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, gum Arabic, sodium Benzoate (preserves freshness), calcium disodium EDTA (to protect flavor), yellow 5

Additives: E102 Tartrazine , E211 Sodium benzoate , E212 Potassium benzoate , E330 Citric acid , E385 Calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate , E414 Acacia gum , E440 Pectins , E950 Acesulfame k , E951 Aspartame , E955 Sucralose

As written on the pack

Carbonated water, concentrated orange juice, citric acid, natural flavor, potassium benzoate (preserves freshness), citrus pectin, aspartame, potassium citrate, caffeine, sodium citrate, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, gum Arabic, sodium Benzoate (preserves freshness), calcium disodium EDTA (to protect flavor), yellow 5.

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.

  • E102 Tartrazine Tartrazine is a synthetic yellow azo dye (FD&C Yellow No. 5 in the US).
  • E414 Acacia gum Gum arabic (acacia gum) is the hardened sap of acacia trees, used to stabilise flavour emulsions in soft drinks and to coat sweets.
  • E440 Pectins Pectins are gelling agents extracted from citrus peel or apple pomace.
  • E950 Acesulfame k Acesulfame K is a synthetic sweetener about 200 times sweeter than sugar, often combined with aspartame or sucralose.
  • E951 Aspartame Aspartame is a synthetic sweetener about 200 times sweeter than sugar, used in diet drinks and sugar-free products.
  • E955 Sucralose Sucralose is a sweetener made by chlorinating sugar.
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  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
2 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.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 102 diet sodas

From least to most processed, this one ranks 99th. 98% of the diet 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 102 diet sodas, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 01216606, last edited 27 January 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.