Is Ghirardelli 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate Chips ultra-processed?

Chocolates Sold in the United States

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

E322 Lecithins

11 ingredients
2 additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed chocolates

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

"the % daily value unsweetened 3% (dv), tells you how chocolate, cane % much a nutrient in sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla extract, soy lecithin (ultra-processing marker), sugar has been reduced from 8g to 4g per serving, a serving of food contributes to a 8% daily diet, 2‚000 calories a day is used for general 0% nutrition advice, rdel thness refin beans intensity roast

Additives: E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin

As written on the pack

"the % daily value unsweetened 3% (dv) tells you how chocolate, cane % much a nutrient in sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla extract, soy lecithin, may contain milk, sugar has been reduced from 8g to 4g per serving, a serving of food contributes to a 8% daily diet, 2,000 calories a day is used for general 0% nutrition advice, rdel thness refin beans intensity roast

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.

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.

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.

Chocolates Products in the category "Chocolates" are at least group 3.
Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 959 chocolates

From least to most processed, this one ranks 301st. 82% of the chocolates 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 959 chocolates, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0747599410413, last edited 14 February 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 D (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.