Is Sour patch kids ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 18 ingredients
- 8 additives
- Nutri-Score E
Less processed candies
Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
Sugar (processing marker), glucose syrup (ultra-processing marker), water, starch (processing marker), gelatine (ultra-processing marker), acid (malic acid), concentrated apple juice, colours (ultra-processing marker) (anthocyanins (ultra-processing marker), vegetable carbon (ultra-processing marker), paprika extract (ultra-processing marker), lutein (ultra-processing marker), curcumin (ultra-processing marker)), acidity regulator (calcium citrates), palm oil, flavourings (ultra-processing marker)
Additives: E100 Curcumin , E153 Vegetable carbon , E160c Paprika extract , E161b Lutein , E163 Anthocyanins , E296 Malic acid , E333 Calcium citrates , E428 Gelatine
As written on the pack
Sugar, glucose syrup, water, starch, gelatine, acid (malic acid), concentrated apple juice, colours (anthocyanins, vegetable carbon, paprika extract, lutein, curcumin), acidity regulator (calcium citrates), palm oil, flavourings,
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.
- E100 Curcumin Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
- E153 Vegetable carbon A food additive authorised for industrial food production.
- E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
- E161b Lutein Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
- E163 Anthocyanins Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
- E428 Gelatine Gelatine is a gelling agent made from collagen in animal skin and bones.
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- Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
- Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
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.
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.
Among 119 gummi candies
From least to most processed, this one ranks 100th. 99% of the gummi candies here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 7622201693558, last edited 27 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.