Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Reese's Pieces ultra-processed?

4 oz (113 g) Chocolate covered peanuts Sold in the United States, Bolivia and France

Pack of Reese's Pieces

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:

  • 21 ingredients
  • 7 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed chocolate covered nuts

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

sugar, peanuts, hydrogenated vegetable oil (palm kernel oil, soybean oil), corn syrup solids, dextrose, palm kernel oil 2%, corn syrup, salt, yellow 5 lake, yellow 6 lake, red 40 lake, blue 1 lake, modified cornstarch, confectioner's glaze, lecithin, vanillin (artificial flavor), carnauba wax, milk

Additives: E102 Tartrazine , E110 Sunset yellow FCF , E129 Allura red , E133 Brilliant blue FCF , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E903 Carnauba wax

As written on the pack

SUGAR, PARTIALLY DEFATTED PEANUTS, HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL (PALM KERNEL OIL, SOYBEAN OIL), CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, DEXTROSE, 2% PALM KERNEL OIL, CORN SYRUP, SALT, ARTIFICIAL COLOR (YELLOW 5 LAKE, YELLOW 6 LAKE, RED 40 LAKE, BLUE 1 LAKE), MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, CONFECTIONER'S GLAZE, LECITHIN (SOY), VANILLIN (ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR), CARNAUBA WAX, MILK.

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).
  • E133 Brilliant blue FCF Brilliant blue FCF is a synthetic blue dye, listed in the US as FD&C Blue No. 1.
  • 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.
  • E903 Carnauba wax Carnauba wax comes from the leaves of a Brazilian palm and gives sweets and coated chocolates their shine.
Show 2 more
  • 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.
  • Hydrogenated oil Hydrogenation turns liquid oil into a solid fat that resists going rancid.
6 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.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 10 chocolate covered peanuts

From least to most processed, this one ranks 6th. 90% of the chocolate covered peanuts 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 10 chocolate covered peanuts, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0034000114702, last edited 8 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.
  • 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.