Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Options Belgian hot chocolate ultra-processed?

Instant beverages Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Options Belgian hot 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:

  • 22 ingredients
  • 5 additives

Less processed instant 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

MILK permeate powder, fat-reduced cocoa powder 21%, sugar, Belgian Chocolate 7% (sugar, cocoa mass, fat-reduced cocoa powder, flavouring), dried glucose syrup, coconut oil, salt, skimmed MILK powder, xanthan gum, e322, e472e, sweetener, aspartame anti-caking agent (e551), flavouring, e340, Find out more g, EMAR and LID RECYCLABLE JAR and LIDE

Additives: E322 Lecithins , E340 Potassium phosphates , E415 Xanthan gum , E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E551 Silicon dioxide

As written on the pack

MILK permeate powder, fat-reduced cocoa powder' 21%, sugar, Belgian Chocolate 7% (sugar, cocoa mass', fat-reduced cocoa powder, flavouring), dried glucose syrup, coconut oil, salt, skimmed MILK powder, thickener (xanthan gum). emulsifiers (E322, E472e), sweetener (aspartame anti-caking agent (E551), flavouring, stabiliser (E340) Rainforest Alliance Certified. Find out more g Contains a source of phenylalanine. FOR ALLERGENS, SEE INGREDIENTS IN BOLD. Gluten Free. Suitable for vegetarians.. EMAR & LID RECYCLABLE JAR & LIDE

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.

  • 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.
  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides 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.
  • E551 Silicon dioxide A food additive used to dissolve, dilute, disperse or otherwise physically modify a food additive or nutrient without altering its function -and without exerting any technological effect itself- in order to facilitate its handling, application or use of the food additive or nutrient.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • Sweetener Sweeteners give sweetness with few or no calories, many at hundreds of times the strength of 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.

  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Glucose syrup Glucose syrup is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Whey Whey is the liquid left over from cheese making, usually dried into a powder and used as a cheap source of milk solids, protein and lactose.
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.

  • 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.
  • 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 197 instant beverages

From least to most processed, this one ranks 178th. 57% of the instant 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 197 instant beverages, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 7612100808504, last edited 6 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.
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.