Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Nerds Rainbow ultra-processed?

3oz Candies Sold in the United States

Pack of Nerds Rainbow

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:

  • 24 ingredients
  • 11 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed candies

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

corn syrup, sugar, dextrose, gelatin, modified food starch, water, malic acid (dl-malic acid), citric acid, sodium citrate, apple juice, NATURAL and ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, gum arabic, carnauba wax, red 40, yellow 5, red 40 lake, yellow 5 lake, blue 2 lake, yellow 6, carmine color, blue 1, blue 1 lake, watermelon

Additives: E102 Tartrazine , E110 Sunset yellow FCF , E129 Allura red , E132 Indigotine , E133 Brilliant blue FCF , E296 Malic acid , E330 Citric acid , E331 Sodium citrates , E414 Acacia gum , E428 Gelatine , E903 Carnauba wax

As written on the pack

CORN SYRUP, SUGAR, DEXTROSE, GELATIN, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, WATER, MALIC ACID (DL-MALIC ACID), CITRIC ACID, SODIUM CITRATE, APPLE JUICE CONCENTRATE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, GUM ARABIC, CARNAUBA WAX, COLOR ADDED (RED 40, YELLOW 5, RED 40 LAKE, YELLOW 5 LAKE, BLUE 2 LAKE, YELLOW 6, CARMINE COLOR, BLUE 1, BLUE 1 LAKE), WATERMELON JUICE CONCENTRATE.

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).
  • E110 Sunset yellow FCF Sunset yellow FCF is a synthetic orange azo dye (FD&C Yellow No. 6 in the US).
  • E129 Allura red Allura red AC is a synthetic red azo dye (FD&C Red No. 40 in the US).
  • E132 Indigotine Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
  • 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.
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  • E428 Gelatine Gelatine is a gelling agent made from collagen in animal skin and bones.
  • E903 Carnauba wax Carnauba wax comes from the leaves of a Brazilian palm and gives sweets and coated chocolates their shine.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • 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.

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.

  • Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
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.

  • Candies Products in the category "Candies" are at least group 3.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 486 candies

From least to most processed, this one ranks 455th. 96% of the candies 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 486 candies, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0079200049058, last edited 29 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 E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.