Is Ricola Kräuterzucker ultra-processed?

400g Candies Sold in the United States, Germany and Switzerland

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Colour
E150a Plain caramel

23 ingredients
1 additive
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

Composition par bonbon 2.5% (Mélange de 13 herbes Ricola comme extrait, feuilles de plantain), racine de guimauve, feuilles de menthe, thym, feuilles de sauge, alchémille, fleur de sureau, fleur de primevère, achillée, racine de pimprenelle, véronique, feuilles de mauve, marrube, menthol 2‚4 mg, saccharose 1.68%, sirop de glucose (contient 0.29% de glucose), colorant (ultra-processing marker) (e150a (ultra-processing marker)), arômes naturels, Ce médicament contient 1‚68 q de saccharose et 0.29% de glucose par dose

Additives: E150a Plain caramel

As written on the pack

Composition par bonbon (2,5 g): Mélange de 13 herbes Ricola comme extrait 27 mg (feuilles de plantain, racine de guimauve, feuilles de menthe, thym, feuilles de sauge, alchémille, fleur de sureau, fleur de primevère, achillée, racine de pimprenelle, véronique, feuilles de mauve, marrube), menthol 2,4 mg, saccharose 1,68 g, sirop de glucose (contient 0,29 g de glucose), colorant (caramel E150a), arômes naturels. Ce médicament contient 1,68 q de saccharose et 0,29 g de glucose par dose.

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.

E150a Plain caramel Plain caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars.
Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.

2 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.
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 50th. 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 7610700019658, last edited 26 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.
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.