Is it ultra-processed?
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Is sunkist ultra-processed?

Orange soft drinks Sold in the United States

Pack of sunkist

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
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed orange soft drinks

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

JUICE Amount, serving Nutrition % DV Total Fat 0g 0% Facts Sodium 110mg 5% Total Carb 69g 25% Serving size Total Sugas 68g 1 Bottle 1-866-374-6567 Sunkisseda.com Calories$260 per serving Incl, Added Sugars 136% Protein 0g *% DV = % Daily Value TED WATER, high fructose corn syrup, CONTAINS 2% and LESS OF (natural f starch), sodium benzoate (preservative), caffeine, yellow 6, red 40, produced hall of fame lane, frisco, TX 75034 and SUNKIST GROWERS, INC, valencia, ca ers inc, usa used under license, 2024 sunkist growers, INC, and DR PEPPERS

Additives: E110 Sunset yellow FCF , E129 Allura red , E211 Sodium benzoate

As written on the pack

CONTAINS NO JUICE Amount/serving Nutrition % DV Total Fat 0g 0% Facts Sodium 110mg 5% Total Carb 69g 25% Serving size Total Sugas 68g 1 Bottle 1-866-374-6567 Sunkisseda.com Calories$260 per serving Incl. 68g Added Sugars 136% Protein 0g *% DV = % Daily Value TED WATER, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: NATURAL F STARCH, SODIUM BENZOATE (PRESERVATIVE), CAFFEINE, YELLOW 6, RED 40. PRODUCED HALL OF FAME LANE, FRISCO, TX 75034 AND SUNKIST GROWERS, INC., VALENCIA, CA ERS INC. USA USED UNDER LICENSE. 2024 SUNKIST GROWERS, INC. AND DR PEPPERS

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.

  • 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).

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.
  • High fructose corn syrup High-fructose corn syrup is made from corn starch: enzymes break it down to glucose and convert part of that into fructose, giving a syrup about as sweet as table sugar.
  • Fructose Fructose is the sugar found naturally in fruit and honey, but as an ingredient it is refined industrially, mostly from corn starch.
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.

  • Sodas Products in the category "Sodas" are at least group 3.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 31 orange soft drinks

From least to most processed, this one ranks 15th. 90% of the orange soft drinks 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 31 orange soft drinks, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0078000113402, last edited 9 June 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.