Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Hershey's Caramel Syrup ultra-processed?

22 oz (1 lb 6 oz) 623 g Cereal syrups Sold in the United States, Bolivia and 2 more countries

Pack of Hershey's Caramel Syrup

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:

  • 15 ingredients
  • 6 additives

Less processed cereal syrups

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, high fructose corn syrup, sweetened condensed skim milk (skim milk, sugar), water, disodium phosphate 2%, sodium citrate, artificial flavor, salt, caramel color, xanthan gum, artificial color (yellow 6), yellow 5

Additives: E102 Tartrazine , E110 Sunset yellow FCF , E150c Ammonia caramel , E331 Sodium citrates , E339ii Disodium phosphate , E415 Xanthan gum

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E150c Ammonia caramel.

As written on the pack

CORN SYRUP; HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP; SWEETENED CONDENSED SKIM MILK [SKIM MILK; SUGAR]; WATER; 2% DISODIUM PHOSPHATE; SODIUM CITRATE; ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR; SALT; CARAMEL COLOR; XANTHAN GUM; ARTIFICIAL COLOR [YELLOW 6; YELLOW 5].

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).
  • E110 Sunset yellow FCF Sunset yellow FCF is a synthetic orange azo dye (FD&C Yellow No. 6 in the US).
  • E150c Ammonia caramel Ammonia caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars with ammonia compounds.
  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • 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.

  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • High fructose corn syrup High-fructose corn syrup is made from corn starch: enzymes break it down to glucose and convert part of that into fructose, giving a syrup about as sweet as table sugar.
  • Fructose Fructose is the sugar found naturally in fruit and honey, but as an ingredient it is refined industrially, mostly from corn starch.
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.

  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 10 cereal syrups

From least to most processed, this one ranks 10th. 60% of the cereal syrups 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 10 cereal syrups, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 03436602, last edited 1 June 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.