Is Nestle Hot cocoa mix ultra-processed?

208g Dehydrated beverages 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:

Lactose
E170 Calcium carbonates
E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose
E950 Acesulfame k
E955 Sucralose

11 ingredients
6 additives

Less processed dehydrated beverages

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

Dairy product, nonfat milk, cocoa processed with alkali, calcium carbonate (ultra-processing marker), cellulose gum (ultra-processing marker), salt (processing marker), lactose (ultra-processing marker), and less than 2% artificial flavor, sucralose (ultra-processing marker), sodium phosphate, acesulfame potassium (ultra-processing marker)

Additives: E170 Calcium carbonates , E170i Calcium carbonate , E339 Sodium phosphates , E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose , E950 Acesulfame k , E955 Sucralose

As written on the pack

Dairy product solids, nonfat milk, cocoa processed with alkali, calcium carbonate, cellulose gum, salt, lactose, and less than 2% artificial flavor, sucralose, sodium phosphate, acesulfame potassium.

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.

E170 Calcium carbonates Calcium carbonate is chalk.
E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose Carboxymethyl cellulose is a thickener made by chemically modifying cellulose from wood or cotton.
E950 Acesulfame k Acesulfame K is a synthetic sweetener about 200 times sweeter than sugar, often combined with aspartame or sucralose.
E955 Sucralose Sucralose is a sweetener made by chlorinating sugar.

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.

Lactose Lactose is milk sugar, crystallised industrially from whey, a by-product of cheese making.

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.

Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 60 dehydrated beverages

From least to most processed, this one ranks 42nd. 88% of the dehydrated beverages 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 60 dehydrated beverages, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0050000140022, last edited 23 December 2021), 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.
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.