Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Mars Ice Cream ultra-processed?

4 Ice creams Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Mars Ice Cream

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:

  • 26 ingredients
  • 6 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed ice creams

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

Skimmed Milk 17%, Glucose Syrup, Sugar, Cream, Water, Palm Fat, Sweetened Condensed Skimmed Milk, Coconut Fat, Cocoa Mass 3.1%, Skimmed Milk Powder, Barley Malt Extract, Milk Fat, Whey Permeate, Lactose, Fat-reduced Cocoa Powder, Emulsifiers (e471, Soya Lecithin), Stabilisers (e407, e410, e412), Salt, Vanilla Extract, Natural Flavouring (Milk)

Additives: E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E407 Carrageenan , E410 Locust bean gum , E412 Guar gum , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

As written on the pack

Skimmed Milk (17%), Glucose Syrup, Sugar, Cream (Milk) (14%), Water, Palm Fat, Sweetened Condensed Skimmed Milk, Coconut Fat, Cocoa Mass (3.1%), Skimmed Milk Powder, Barley Malt Extract, Milk Fat, Whey Permeate (Milk), Lactose (Milk), Fat-reduced Cocoa Powder, Emulsifiers (E471, Soya Lecithin), Stabilisers (E407, E410, E412), Salt, Vanilla Extract, Natural Flavouring (Milk)

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.
  • 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.
  • E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
  • Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.
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  • 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.
  • Lactose Lactose is milk sugar, crystallised industrially from whey, a by-product of cheese making.
  • 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.

  • Ice creams Products in the category "Ice creams" are at least group 3.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • 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.
  • 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 321 ice creams

From least to most processed, this one ranks 258th. 93% of the ice creams 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 321 ice creams, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000159560764, last edited 16 June 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.