Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Little Debbie Donut Sticks ultra-processed?

47 g Doughnuts Sold in the United States

Pack of Little Debbie Donut Sticks

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:

  • 40 ingredients
  • 11 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed doughnuts

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, palm oil, flour (wheat flour, barley malt, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononoitrate (vitamin b1), riboflavin, folic acid), water, CONTAINS 2% and LESS OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING (soy flour), wheat, corn starches, soybean oil, nonfat milk, dextrose, baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, egg yolks, salt emulsifiers (propylene glycol monosteartae, mono- and DIGLYCERIDES, soy lecithin), spices, corn starch, guar, xanthan gums, calcium carbonate, agar, potassium sorbate (to retain freshness), titanium dioxide (color), NATURAL and ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS (contains lemon), whey, egg whites

Additives: E171 Titanium dioxide , E202 Potassium sorbate , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E406 Agar , E415 Xanthan gum , E450 Diphosphates , E450i Disodium diphosphate , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate

As written on the pack

SUGAR, PALM OIL, ENRICHED BLEACHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, BARLEY MALT, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONOITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), WATER. CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING: SOY FLOUR, MODIFIED WHEAT AND CORN STARCHES, SOYBEAN OIL, NONFAT MILK, DEXTROSE, LEAVENING (BAKING SODA, SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE), EGG YOLKS, SALT EMULSIFIERS (PROPYLENE GLYCOL MONOSTEARTAE, MONO-AND DIGLYCERIDES, SOY LECITHIN), SPICES, CORN STARCH, GUAR AND XANTHAN GUMS, CALCIUM CARBONATE, AGAR, POTASSIUM SORBATE (TO RETAIN FRESHNESS), TITANIUM DIOXIDE (COLOR), NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS (CONTAINS LEMON), WHEY (MILK), EGG WHITES.

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.

  • 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.
  • E406 Agar A food additive used to dissolve, dilute, disperse or otherwise physically modify a food additive or nutrient without altering its function -and without exerting any technological effect itself- in order to facilitate its handling, application or use of the food additive or nutrient.
  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
  • E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
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  • 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.

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Wheat An ingredient mostly produced industrially and rarely used in home kitchens.
5 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.
  • 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 14 doughnuts

From least to most processed, this one ranks 10th. 86% of the doughnuts 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 14 doughnuts, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0024300041341, last edited 12 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.
  • 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.