Is Trader Joe's Chocolate Brooklyn Babka ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 53 ingredients
- 2 additives
- Nutri-Score E
Less processed chocolate cakes
Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, enzyme, folic acid, malted barley flour), water, eggs, tofu, water, soybeans, calcium sulfate, tricalcium phosphate, nigari (sea water extract), vitamin b6, vitamins, vitamin D2, vitamin b12, cane sugar (processing marker), vegetable oil (processing marker) (soybean, canola oil), palm oil, cocoa powder (ultra-processing marker), chocolate (sugar (processing marker), cocoa powder (ultra-processing marker), palm oil, chocolate liquor, salt (processing marker)), yeast, distilled vinegar, chocolate chips (sugar (processing marker), chocolate liquor, cocoa butter), vanilla extract (water, ethyl alcohol, sugar (processing marker), vanilla bean), natural orange flavor (ultra-processing marker) (ethyl alcohol, orange oil, water), salt (processing marker), xanthan gum (ultra-processing marker) (coconut, walnuts)
Additives: E1510 Ethanol , E415 Xanthan gum
As written on the pack
UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, ENZYME, FOLIC ACID, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR), WATER, EGGS, ORGANIC TOFU (WATER, ORGANIC WHOLE SOYBEANS, CALCIUM SULFATE, TRICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, NIGARI [SEA WATER EXTRACT], VITAMIN B6, VITAMIN D2, VITAMIN B12), CANE SUGAR, VEGETABLE OIL (EXPELLER PRESSED SOYBEAN AND/OR CANOLA OIL), PALM OIL, COCOA POWDER, CHOCOLATE SYRUP (SUGAR, COCOA POWDER [PROCESSED WITH ALKALI], PALM OIL, CHOCOLATE LIQUOR, SALT), YEAST, DISTILLED VINEGAR, CHOCOLATE CHIPS (SUGAR, CHOCOLATE LIQUOR, COCOA BUTTER), VANILLA EXTRACT (WATER, ETHYL ALCOHOL, SUGAR, VANILLA BEAN EXTRACTIVES), NATURAL ORANGE FLAVOR (ETHYL ALCOHOL, ORANGE OIL, WATER), SALT, XANTHAN GUM. CONTAINS WHEAT, EGG, SOY. MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF TREE NUTS (COCONUT AND WALNUTS).
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.
- E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
- 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.
- Cocoa powder An ingredient mostly produced industrially and rarely used in home kitchens.
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.
- Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
- 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.
Among 67 chocolate cakes
From least to most processed, this one ranks 12th. 97% of the chocolate cakes here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00528122, 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.