Is Hershey's Chocolate Syrup ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- Flavouring
- Glucose
- High fructose corn syrup
- Fructose
- E415 Xanthan gum
- E435 Polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate
- and 1 more
- 11 ingredients
- 4 additives
Less processed cereal syrups
-
Apiario Reyna HONEY BEE LIQUID
Apiario Reyna
2 ingredients · no additives
NOVA group
1
-
Light Corn Syrup with Real Vanilla
Karo
6 ingredients · 1 additive
NOVA group
3
-
BIO Rice syrup
Maribel
2 ingredients · no additives
NOVA group
1
-
Organic Rice Syrup Brown Rice
Pure Harvest
1 ingredient · no additives
NOVA group
1
Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
high fructose corn syrup (ultra-processing marker), water, cocoa, potassium sorbate (processing marker) 2% (to maintain freshness (processing marker)), salt (processing marker), xanthan gum (ultra-processing marker), mono- and DIGLYCERIDES (ultra-processing marker), polysorbate 60 (ultra-processing marker), vanillin (artificial flavor (ultra-processing marker))
Additives: E202 Potassium sorbate , E415 Xanthan gum , E435 Polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids
As written on the pack
HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, WATER, COCOA, 2% POTASSIUM SORBATE (TO MAINTAIN FRESHNESS), SALT, XANTHAN GUM, MONO - AND DIGLYCERIDES, POLYSORBATE 60, VANILLIN (ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR).
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.
- E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
- E435 Polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
- E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
- 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.
3 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.
- E202 Potassium sorbate Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
- Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
- Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Among 10 cereal syrups
From least to most processed, this one ranks 8th. 60% of the cereal syrups here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 03431209, last edited 19 September 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.