Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Ovaltine Original ultra-processed?

300 Instant chocolate powders Sold in the United Kingdom and France

Pack of Ovaltine Original

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:

  • 20 ingredients
  • No additives

Less processed instant chocolate powders

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

BARLEY malt extract 73%, MILK permeate, fat-reduced cocoa powder 8% minerals (calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, ferric pyrophosphate, zinc sulphate), sugar, rapeseed oil, vitamins, vitamin E, vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folic acid, vitamin B12, biotin, pantothenic acid

As written on the pack

BARLEY malt extract 73%, condensed MILK permeate, fat-reduced cocoa powder 8% minerals (calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, ferric pyrophosphate, zinc sulphate), sugar, rapeseed oil, vitamins (E, C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B6, folic acid, B12, biotin, pantothenic acid)

What makes it ultra-processed

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.

  • 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.
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.

  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 51 instant chocolate powders

From least to most processed, this one ranks 10th. 88% of the instant chocolate powders 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 51 instant chocolate powders, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 7612100005569, last edited 19 March 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.