Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Little Bites Blueberry Muffins ultra-processed?

1.65oz (47g) Fruit muffins Sold in the United States and Mexico

Pack of Little Bites Blueberry Muffins

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:

  • 25 ingredients
  • 14 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed fruit muffins

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

sugar, wheat flour, vegetable oil (soybean), eggs, blueberries, water, glycerin, food starch-modified (corn), whey, leavening, sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, monocalcium phosphatel natural flavor salt, mono- and DIGLYCERIDES SORBITAN MONOSTEARATE, polysorbate 60, preservatives (phosphoric acid, sodium propionate, potassium sorbate), sodium stearoyl lactylate, xanthan gum, cellulose gum whey protein concentrate, soy lecithin

Additives: E202 Potassium sorbate , E281 Sodium propionate , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E338 Phosphoric acid , E415 Xanthan gum , E422 Glycerol , E435 Polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate , E450 Diphosphates , E450i Disodium diphosphate , E481 Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate , E491 Sorbitan monostearate , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E491 Sorbitan monostearate.

As written on the pack

SUGAR, BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR, VEGETABLE OIL (SOYBEAN), EGGS, BLUEBERRIES, WATER, GLYCERIN, FOOD STARCH-MODIFIED (CORN) WHEY, LEAVENING (SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, BAKING SODA, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATEL NATURAL FLAVOR SALT, MONO - AND DIGLYCERIDES SORBITAN MONOSTEARATE, POLYSORBATE 60, PRESERVATIVES (PHOSPHORIC ACID, SODIUM PROPIONATE, POTASSIUM SORBATE), SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, XANTHAN GUM, CELLULOSE GUM WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SOY LECITHIN

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.
  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • E422 Glycerol Glycerol is a sweet-tasting liquid used to keep products moist and soft.
  • 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.
  • E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
  • E481 Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate 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.
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  • E491 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.
  • Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.

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.

  • Whey Whey is the liquid left over from cheese making, usually dried into a powder and used as a cheap source of milk solids, protein and lactose.
6 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.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 8 fruit muffins

From least to most processed, this one ranks 7th. 75% of the fruit muffins 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 8 fruit muffins, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0072030013848, last edited 16 April 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.