Is it ultra-processed?
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Is GRO Plant-based eating ultra-processed?

Plant-based ice cream tubs Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of GRO Plant-based eating

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:

  • 39 ingredients
  • 7 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed plant-based ice creams

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

Ingredients Water, Dried Glucose Syrup, Sugar, Cocoa Powder, Coconut Milk, Caramel Sauce 4% (Caramel Syrup, Sugar, Flavourings, Thickener (Pectin)), Chocolate Brownie Pieces 4% (Brown Sugar, Fortified Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Fat-reduced Cocoa Powder, Sunflower Oil, Flavouring, Salt, Raising Agent (Sodium carbonate)), Rice Syrup, Coconut Oil, Inulin, Fructose, Maltodextrin, Hydrolysed Pea Protein, Stabilisers (Locust bean gum, Guar gum, Sodium alginate), Emulsifier (mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, Vegetable), including cereals containing gluten

Additives: E401 Sodium alginate , E410 Locust bean gum , E412 Guar gum , E440 Pectins , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500i Sodium carbonate

As written on the pack

Ingredients Water, Dried Glucose Syrup, Sugar, Cocoa Powder, Coconut Milk Powder, Caramel Sauce (4%) (Caramel Syrup, Sugar, Flavourings, Thickener (Pectin)), Chocolate Brownie Pieces (4%) (Brown Sugar, Fortified Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Fat-reduced Cocoa Powder, Sunflower Oil, Flavouring, Salt, Raising Agent (Sodium carbonate)), Rice Syrup, Coconut Oil, Inulin, Fructose, Maltodextrin, Hydrolysed Pea Protein, Stabilisers (Locust bean gum, Guar gum, Sodium alginate), Emulsifier (Mono-and diglycerides of fatty acids - Vegetable). Allergy Advice For allergens, including cereals containing gluten, see ingredients in bold.

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.

  • E401 Sodium alginate A food additive used to dissolve, dilute, disperse or otherwise physically modify a food additive or nutrient without altering its function -and without exerting any technological effect itself- in order to facilitate its handling, application or use of the food additive or nutrient.
  • E410 Locust bean gum Locust bean gum (carob gum) is a thickener and stabiliser from the seeds of the carob tree.
  • E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.
  • E440 Pectins Pectins are gelling agents extracted from citrus peel or apple pomace.
  • E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
  • Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.
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  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • Thickener Thickeners, often gums or modified starches, make liquids more viscous so that a product feels richer than its ingredients alone would make it.

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.

  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Glucose syrup Glucose syrup is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
  • Vegetable fiber Isolated plant fibres, such as inulin, oat fibre or bamboo fibre, are extracted industrially and added to change texture or support "source of fibre" claims.
  • Fructose Fructose is the sugar found naturally in fruit and honey, but as an ingredient it is refined industrially, mostly from corn starch.
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.
  • Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 11 plant-based ice cream tubs

From least to most processed, this one ranks 11th. 100% of the plant-based ice cream tubs 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 11 plant-based ice cream tubs, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000129300628, last edited 27 March 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.