Is Ghirardelli Premium Brownie Mix Dark Chocolate ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 25 ingredients
- 4 additives
Less processed brownies
Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
sugar (processing marker), flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, malted barley flour, enzymes), bittersweet chocolate chips (chocolate, sugar (processing marker), cocoa butter (ultra-processing marker), milk fat, soy lecithin (ultra-processing marker) (emulsifier (ultra-processing marker)), vanilla extract), cocoa (ultra-processing marker), canola, soybean oil (processing marker), less than 2% of (salt (processing marker)), artificial flavor (ultra-processing marker), baking soda
Additives: E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate
As written on the pack
sugar, enriched bleached flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, malted barley flour, enzymes), bittersweet chocolate chips (unsweetened chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, milk fat, soy lecithin [emulsifier], vanilla extract), cocoa (processed with alkali), canola or soybean oil. less than 2% of: salt, artificial flavor, baking soda.
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.
- Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.
- 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.
- Cocoa An ingredient mostly produced industrially and rarely used in home kitchens.
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.
- Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
- Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
- Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.
Among 29 brownies
From least to most processed, this one ranks 10th. 93% of the brownies here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0041449301976, last edited 26 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.