Is Little Debbie Nutty Buddy ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 28 ingredients
- 6 additives
- Nutri-Score E
Less processed stuffed wafers
Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
dextrose (ultra-processing marker), flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate (vitamin b1), riboflavin, folic acid), peanut butter, sugar (processing marker), palm, soybean oils with tbhq and citric acid to protect flavor, palm and palm kernel oil, water, contains 2% and less of each of the following (cocoa), soybean oil (processing marker), corn starch (processing marker), salt (processing marker), mono- and diglycerides (ultra-processing marker), soy lecithin (ultra-processing marker), baking soda, citric acid, artificial flavor (ultra-processing marker), whey (ultra-processing marker), soy flour, egg whites
Additives: E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E330 Citric acid , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate
As written on the pack
dextrose, enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate [vitamin b1], riboflavin [vitamin b2], folic acid), peanut butter, sugar, palm and soybean oils with tbhq and citric acid to protect flavor, palm and palm kernel oil, water. contains 2% or less of each of the following: cocoa, soybean oil, corn starch, salt, mono - and diglycerides, soy lecithin, baking soda, citric acid, artificial flavor, whey (milk), soy flour, dried egg whites. allergy information: contains wheat, peanuts, soy, milk, eggs. may contain tree nuts.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
- 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 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.
Among 39 stuffed wafers
From least to most processed, this one ranks 31st. 90% of the stuffed wafers here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0024300041204, last edited 23 May 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.