Is it ultra-processed?
Menu

Is Haribo Goldbears Sour ultra-processed?

4.5 oz (127 g) Gummy bears Sold in the United States

Pack of Haribo Goldbears Sour

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:

  • 16 ingredients
  • 9 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed candies

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

Corn syrup, sugar, gelatin, dextrose, citric acid, malic acid, calcium citrate, sodium malate, corn starch, artificial, natural flavors, artificial colors (yellow 5), red 40, blue 1, carnauba wax

Additives: E102 Tartrazine , E129 Allura red , E133 Brilliant blue FCF , E296 Malic acid , E330 Citric acid , E350 Sodium malates , E350i Sodium malate , E428 Gelatine , E903 Carnauba wax

As written on the pack

Corn syrup, sugar, gelatin, dextrose, citric acid, malic acid, calcium citrate, sodium malate, corn starch, artificial and natural flavors, artificial colors: yellow 5, red 40, blue 1, carnauba wax.

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).
  • E129 Allura red Allura red AC is a synthetic red azo dye (FD&C Red No. 40 in the US).
  • E133 Brilliant blue FCF Brilliant blue FCF is a synthetic blue dye, listed in the US as FD&C Blue No. 1.
  • E428 Gelatine Gelatine is a gelling agent made from collagen in animal skin and bones.
  • E903 Carnauba wax Carnauba wax comes from the leaves of a Brazilian palm and gives sweets and coated chocolates their shine.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
Show 1 more
  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Candies Products in the category "Candies" are at least group 3.
  • 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 12 gummy bears

From least to most processed, this one ranks 12th. 100% of the gummy bears 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 12 gummy bears, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0042238312210, last edited 11 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 E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.