Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Meiji Hello Panda Chocolate ultra-processed?

Biscuits Sold in the United States and France

Pack of Meiji Hello Panda Chocolate

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:

  • 30 ingredients
  • 6 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed biscuits

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

flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), riboflavin, folic acid), vegetable oil (palm, soybean), sugar, chocolate, whole milk POWDER, contains less THAN 2% OF baking soda (FOR Leavening), caramel color, emulsifiers, sorbitan tristerate, sucrose esters of fatty acids, soy lecithin, malt syrup, natural and artificial flavors, salt, seasoning (maltrodextrin, soy protein, Greek yogurt, disodium ozonisante and Disodium GUANULATE), YEAST EXTRAct

Additives: E150c Ammonia caramel , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E473 Sucrose esters of fatty acids , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E150c Ammonia caramel.

As written on the pack

Enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), folic acid), vegetable oil (palm AND SOYBEAN), SUGAR, CHOCOLATE, whole milk POWDER, contains less THAN 2% OF baking soda (FOR Leavening), caramel color, emulsifiers (sorbitan tristerate, sucrose esters of fatty acids, soy lecithin, malt syrup, natural and artificial flavors, salt, seasoning (maltrodextrin, hydrolized soy protein, Greek yogurt powder, disodium ozonisante AND Disodium GUANULATE), YEAST EXTRAct

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.

  • E150c Ammonia caramel Ammonia caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars with ammonia compounds.
  • 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.
  • E473 Sucrose esters of fatty acids 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.
  • 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.

  • Soy protein Soy protein is extracted from soybeans and used to add protein or a meat-like texture.
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.
  • 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.
  • 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 1,514 biscuits

From least to most processed, this one ranks 1171st. 83% of the biscuits 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 1,514 biscuits, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0072320700397, last edited 23 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.