Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Little Moons Pop Corn Mochi ultra-processed?

6 x 32 g Mochi ice cream Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Little Moons Pop Corn Mochi

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:

  • 47 ingredients
  • 13 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed ice creams and sorbets

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

Whole milk, water, rice flour, sugar, double cream, demerara sugar (sugar, molasses), trehalose, corn 3.2% (sugar, invert sugar syrup, butter, shea fat, glucose syrup, corn, salt, sunflower oil, skimmed milk powder, acidity regulator (sodium bicarbonate), emulsifier (lecithin)), glucose syrup, skimmed milk powder, stabilisers (guar gum, locust bean gum, cellulose gum, carrageenan, xanthan gum), natural flavouring, tapioca starch, Himalayan sea salt, emulsifier (mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids), colour (annatto norbixin, curcumin), salt, caramel paste (glucose syrup, caramel sugar syrup, invert sugar syrup, natural flavouring), soya, Trehalose is a source of glucose

Additives: E100 Curcumin , E160b Annatto , E160bii Annatto norbixin , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E407 Carrageenan , E410 Locust bean gum , E412 Guar gum , E415 Xanthan gum , E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate

As written on the pack

Whole milk, water, rice flour, sugar, double cream (milk), demerara sugar (sugar, molasses), trehalose, caramelised corn pieces (3.2%) (sugar, invert sugar syrup, butter (milk), shea fat, glucose syrup, corn, salt, sunflower oil, skimmed milk powder, acidity regulator (sodium bicarbonate), emulsifier (lecithin)), glucose syrup, skimmed milk powder, stabilisers (guar gum, locust bean gum, cellulose gum, carrageenan, xanthan gum), natural flavouring, tapioca starch, Himalayan sea salt, emulsifier (mono and diglycerides of fatty acids), colour (annatto norbixin, curcumin), salt, caramel paste (glucose syrup, caramel sugar syrup, invert sugar syrup, natural flavouring), soya. *Trehalose is a source of glucose. For allergens, see ingredients in bold. May contain: nuts, peanuts and egg.

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.

  • E100 Curcumin 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.
  • E160b Annatto 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.
  • 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.
  • E407 Carrageenan Carrageenan is a thickener and gelling agent extracted from red seaweed, used widely in dairy desserts, plant-based drinks and processed meats.
  • E410 Locust bean gum Locust bean gum (carob gum) is a thickener and stabiliser from the seeds of the carob tree.
  • E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.
Show 6 more
  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • 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.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.
  • 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.

  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Glucose syrup Glucose syrup is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Invert sugar Invert sugar is ordinary sugar split into glucose and fructose with acid or enzymes.
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.

  • Ice creams Products in the category "Ice creams" are at least group 3.
  • Butter Butter, the fat churned from cream.
  • 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.
  • Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 8 mochi ice cream

From least to most processed, this one ranks 7th. 100% of the mochi ice cream 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 mochi ice cream, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5027324003697, last edited 27 March 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 D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.