Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Minute Maid Lemonade ultra-processed?

52 FL OZ Lemonades Sold in the United States

Pack of Minute Maid Lemonade

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:

  • 14 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed lemonades

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

filtered water, lemon juice from concentrate, less than 0.5% of, citric acid (provides tartness), vitamin c (ascorbic acid), potassium citrate (regulates tartness), glycerol ester of rosin, modified cornstarch, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, adds a negligible amount of sugar

Additives: E330 Citric acid , E950 Acesulfame k , E951 Aspartame

As written on the pack

pure filtered water, lemon juice from concentrate*, less than 0.5% of: natural flavors, citric acid (provides tartness), vitamin c (ascorbic acid), potassium citrate (regulates tartness), glycerol ester of rosin, modified cornstarch, aspartame, acesulfame potassium. *adds a negligible amount of sugar.

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.

  • E950 Acesulfame k Acesulfame K is a synthetic sweetener about 200 times sweeter than sugar, often combined with aspartame or sucralose.
  • E951 Aspartame Aspartame is a synthetic sweetener about 200 times sweeter than sugar, used in diet drinks and sugar-free products.
  • Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.
2 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.

  • Sodas Products in the category "Sodas" are at least group 3.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 19 lemonades

From least to most processed, this one ranks 12th. 79% of the lemonades 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 19 lemonades, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0025000120527, last edited 10 August 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.