Is Duncan Hines Classic cake mix imp ultra-processed?

432 gr Cereal flours Sold in the United States and Mexico

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Dextrose
Flavouring
Glucose
Modified starch
E415 Xanthan gum
E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose
and 2 more

25 ingredients
8 additives

Less processed cereal flours

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

sugar (processing marker), wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), emulsified palm shortening (palm oil, propylene glycol mono- and diesters of fats and fatty acids, mono- and diglycerides (ultra-processing marker), sodium stearoyl lactylate (ultra-processing marker)), cocoa powder processed with alkali, dextrose (ultra-processing marker), leavening (baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate monohydrate), contains 2% and less of (modified food starch (ultra-processing marker)), salt (processing marker), cellulose gum (ultra-processing marker), xanthan gum (ultra-processing marker), artificial flavor (ultra-processing marker)

Additives: E415 Xanthan gum , E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E481 Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate , E541 Sodium aluminium phosphate , E570 Fatty acids

As written on the pack

sugar, enriched bleached wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), emulsified palm shortening (palm oil, propylene glycol mono - and diesters of fats and fatty acids, mono - and diglycerides, sodium stearoyl lactylate), cocoa powder processed with alkali, dextrose, leavening (baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate monohydrate), contains 2% or less of: modified food starch, salt, cellulose gum, xanthan gum, artificial flavor,

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.

E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose Carboxymethyl cellulose is a thickener made by chemically modifying cellulose from wood or cotton.
E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
E481 Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate 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.
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.

Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.

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.
Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 121 cereal flours

From least to most processed, this one ranks 120th. 21% of the cereal flours 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 121 cereal flours, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0644209307579, last edited 13 May 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.