Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Little Bites Chocolate Chip Muffins ultra-processed?

1.65 oz Muffins Sold in the United States and France

Pack of Little Bites Chocolate Chip 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:

  • 31 ingredients
  • 14 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed 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, water, vegetable oil (soybean), chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate liquor dextrose, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla extract), eggs, invert sugar, corn, whey, glycerin, mono- and DIGLYCERIDES, sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, cornstarch, monocalcium phosphate, artificial flavors, salt, xanthan gum, sodium stearoyl lactylate, potassium sorbate (preservative), whey protein, soy lecithin, cellulose gum, wheat starch

Additives: E202 Potassium sorbate , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E341 Calcium phosphates , E341i Monocalcium phosphate , E415 Xanthan gum , E422 Glycerol , E450 Diphosphates , E450i Disodium diphosphate , E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E481 Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate

As written on the pack

SUGAR, BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR, WATER, VEGETABLE OIL (SOYBEAN), CHOCOLATE CHIPS (SUGAR, CHOCOLATE LIQUOR DEXTROSE, COCOA BUTTER, SOY LECITHIN, VANILLA EXTRACT) EGGS, INVERT SUGAR, FOOD STARCH-MODIFIED (CORN), WHEY, GLYCERIN, MONO-AND DIGLYCERIDES, LEAVENING (SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, BAKING SODA, CORNSTARCH, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE), ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, SALT, XANTHAN GUM, SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, POTASSIUM SORBATE (PRESERVATIVE), WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SOY LECITHIN, CELLULOSE GUM, WHEAT STARCH.

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.
  • E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
  • E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose Carboxymethyl cellulose is a thickener made by chemically modifying cellulose from wood or cotton.
  • E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
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  • 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.
  • 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.

  • Invert sugar Invert sugar is ordinary sugar split into glucose and fructose with acid or enzymes.
  • Milk proteins Milk proteins are proteins separated from milk, such as caseinates and whey protein concentrates, added to adjust texture or raise protein content.
  • 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.
8 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.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Vegetable fat Vegetable fats are oils that are solid at room temperature, such as palm or coconut fat.
  • 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 49 muffins

From least to most processed, this one ranks 42nd. 90% of the 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 49 muffins, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0072030014821, last edited 23 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.