Is Mountain Dew Code red cherry ultra-processed?

Sodas Sold in the United States

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Flavouring
Glucose
Fructose
E102 Tartrazine
E129 Allura red
E133 Brilliant blue FCF
and 1 more

37 ingredients
8 additives
Nutri-Score E

Less processed sodas

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

Carbonated water, Sugant, glucose-fructose (ultra-processing marker), Citric acid, Graham's sat Sodium benzoate, Caffeine, Sodium citrate Gum arabic, Calcium disodium EDTA, Potassium benzoate, Allura red (ultra-processing marker), Tartrazine Brilliant blue FCF, Natural flavour (ultra-processing marker), Ingrédients (Eau gazeifiée), Sucre, glucose-fructose (ultra-processing marker), Acide citrique, Sel de Graham, Benzoate de sodium, Cafeine, Citrate de sodium, Gomme arabique, EDTA de calcium disodique, Benzoate de potassium, Rouge allura, Tartrazine (ultra-processing marker), Bleu brillant FCF, Arôme naturel, pepsico canada ulc, mississauga, on law, 062, mountainee red-pepsico, INC, used under licence utilisées sous ene consumer information, renseignements (1-800-433-2652)

Additives: E102 Tartrazine , E129 Allura red , E133 Brilliant blue FCF , E211 Sodium benzoate , E212 Potassium benzoate , E330 Citric acid , E385 Calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate , E414 Acacia gum

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E133 Brilliant blue FCF, E414 Acacia gum.

As written on the pack

Carbonated water, Sugant/ glucose-fructose, Citric acid, Graham's sat Sodium benzoate, Caffeine, Sodium citrate Gum arabic, Calcium disodium EDTA, Potassium benzoate, Allura red, Tartrazine Brilliant blue FCF, Natural flavour. Ingrédients: Eau gazeifiée, Sucre/ glucose-fructose, Acide citrique, Sel de Graham, Benzoate de sodium, Cafeine, Citrate de sodium, Gomme arabique, EDTA de calcium disodique, Benzoate de potassium, Rouge allura, Tartrazine, Bleu brillant FCF, Arôme naturel. PEPSICO CANADA ULC, MISSISSAUGA, ON LAW (062. MOUNTAINEE RED-PEPSICO, INC. USED UNDER LICENCE UTILISÉES SOUS ENE CONSUMER INFORMATION/RENSEIGNEMENTS: 1-800-433-2652

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.

E102 Tartrazine Tartrazine is a synthetic yellow azo dye (FD&C Yellow No. 5 in the US).
E129 Allura red Allura red AC is a synthetic red azo dye (FD&C Red No. 40 in the US).
E133 Brilliant blue FCF Brilliant blue FCF is a synthetic blue dye, listed in the US as FD&C Blue No. 1.
E414 Acacia gum Gum arabic (acacia gum) is the hardened sap of acacia trees, used to stabilise flavour emulsions in soft drinks and to coat sweets.
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.
Fructose Fructose is the sugar found naturally in fruit and honey, but as an ingredient it is refined industrially, mostly from corn starch.

1 ingredient 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 612 sodas

From least to most processed, this one ranks 581st. 94% of the sodas 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 612 sodas, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0069000160640, last edited 19 April 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.