Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies ultra-processed?

62 g Brownies Sold in the United States

Pack of Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies

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:

  • 61 ingredients
  • 19 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed brownies

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

flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate (vitamin b1), riboflavin, folic acid), corn syrup, palm, SOYBEAN OILS WITH TBHQ and CITRIC ACID TO PROTECT FLAVOR, sugar, dextrose, water, cocoa, CONTAINS 2% and LESS and LESS OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING (soy flour), cosmic candy pieces (semi-sweet chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla), sugar, corn starch, titanium dioxide, gum arabic, confectioner's glaze, carnauba wax, yellow 5 lake, blue 2 lake, yellow 6 lake, blue 1 lake, red 3, milk), high fructose corn syrup, whey, eggs, soy lecithin, corn starch, salt, sodium aluminum phosphate, baking soda, caramel color, red 40, titanium dioxide, yellow 5 lake, blue 1 lake, yellow 6 lake, blue 2 lake, soybean oil, NATURAL and ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, PALM and PALM KERNEL OIL, egg whites, modified corn starch, polysorbate 60, citric acid, mono- and DIGLYCERIDES, sorbic acid (to preserve freshness)

Additives: E102 Tartrazine , E110 Sunset yellow FCF , E127 Erythrosine , E129 Allura red , E132 Indigotine , E133 Brilliant blue FCF , E150c Ammonia caramel , E171 Titanium dioxide , E200 Sorbic acid , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E330 Citric acid , E414 Acacia gum , E435 Polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate , E541 Sodium aluminium phosphate , E903 Carnauba wax

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

As written on the pack

ENRICHED BLEACHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), CORN SYRUP, PALM AND SOYBEAN OILS WITH TBHQ AND CITRIC ACID TO PROTECT FLAVOR, SUGAR, DEXTROSE, WATER, COCOA. CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OR LESS OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING: SOY FLOUR, COSMIC CANDY PIECES (SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS [SUGAR, CHOCOLATE, COCOA BUTTER, SOY LECITHIN, VANILLA], SUGAR, CORN STARCH, TITANIUM DIOXIDE, GUM ARABIC, CONFECTIONER'S GLAZE, CARNAUBA WAX, YELLOW 5 LAKE, BLUE 2 LAKE, YELLOW 6 LAKE, BLUE 1 LAKE, RED 3, MILK), HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, WHEY, EGGS, SOY LECITHIN, CORN STARCH, SALT, LEAVENING (SODIUM ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE, BAKING SODA), COLORS (CARAMEL COLOR, RED 40, TITANIUM DIOXIDE, YELLOW 5 LAKE, BLUE 1 LAKE, YELLOW 6 LAKE, BLUE 2 LAKE), SOYBEAN OIL, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, PALM AND PALM KERNEL OIL, EGG WHITES, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, POLYSORBATE 60, CITRIC ACID, MONO - AND DIGLYCERIDES, SORBIC ACID (TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS).

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).
  • E127 Erythrosine Erythrosine is a synthetic red dye (FD&C Red No. 3 in the US).
  • E129 Allura red Allura red AC is a synthetic red azo dye (FD&C Red No. 40 in the US).
  • E132 Indigotine Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
  • E133 Brilliant blue FCF Brilliant blue FCF is a synthetic blue dye, listed in the US as FD&C Blue No. 1.
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  • E150c Ammonia caramel Ammonia caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars with ammonia compounds.
  • E171 Titanium dioxide Titanium dioxide is a white pigment.
  • 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.
  • E414 Acacia gum Gum arabic (acacia gum) is the hardened sap of acacia trees, used to stabilise flavour emulsions in soft drinks and to coat sweets.
  • 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.
  • E903 Carnauba wax Carnauba wax comes from the leaves of a Brazilian palm and gives sweets and coated chocolates their shine.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • 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.

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Fructose Fructose is the sugar found naturally in fruit and honey, but as an ingredient it is refined industrially, mostly from corn starch.
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.

  • 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 29 brownies

From least to most processed, this one ranks 29th. 93% of the brownies 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 29 brownies, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0024300041068, last edited 26 August 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.