Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Maryland cookies ultra-processed?

2 x 200 g Chocolate chip cookies Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Maryland cookies

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:

  • 32 ingredients
  • 8 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed chocolate chip cookies

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

Wheat flour (Wheat flour, Calcium carbonate, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin), Chocolate chips 25% (Sugar, Cocoa mass, Vegetable fats (Sustainable palm, Shea, Sal), Emulsifiers (Soya lecithin, e442, e476), Cocoa butter, Flavourings), Sugar, Sustainable palm oil, Whey, whey derivatives, Partially inverted sugar syrup, Raising agents (Sodium bicarbonate, Ammonium bicarbonate), Salt, Flavourings, including cereals containing gluten, 2 x 200g e, Typical Values NUTRITION INFOR Per 24 48 Energy Energy Fat

Additives: E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E442 Ammonium phosphatides , E476 Polyglycerol polyricinoleate , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate , E503 Ammonium carbonates , E503ii Ammonium hydrogen carbonate

As written on the pack

Wheat flour (Wheat flour, Calcium carbonate, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin). Chocolate chips (25%) (Sugar, Cocoa mass, Vegetable fats (Sustainable palm, Shea, Sal), Emulsifiers (Soya lecithin, E442, E476), Cocoa butter, Flavourings), Sugar, Sustainable palm oil, Whey or whey derivatives (Milk). Partially inverted sugar syrup, Raising agents (Sodium bicarbonate, Ammonium bicarbonate), Salt, Flavourings. ! ALLERGY ADVICE For allergens, including cereals containing gluten, see ingredients in bold. May contain nuts. 2 x 200g e (400g) Typical Values NUTRITION INFOR Per 24 48 Energy Energy Fat

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.
  • E442 Ammonium phosphatides 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.
  • E476 Polyglycerol polyricinoleate Polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) is an emulsifier made from castor oil.
  • 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.

  • Invert sugar Invert sugar is ordinary sugar split into glucose and fructose with acid or enzymes.
  • 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.
4 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.
  • 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.
  • Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 50 chocolate chip cookies

From least to most processed, this one ranks 33rd. 92% of the chocolate chip cookies 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 50 chocolate chip cookies, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0072417194382, 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 E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.