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Is Trader Joe's Mini Hold The Cone! Ice Cream Cones Chocolate Chip ultra-processed?

7.9 oz (224 g) Ice cream cones Sold in the United States

Pack of Trader Joe's Mini Hold The Cone! Ice Cream Cones Chocolate Chip

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:

  • 37 ingredients
  • 7 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed ice creams

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

ice cream (milk, cream, cane sugar, skim milk, whey, egg yolks, guar gum, carob bean gum, carrageenan, natural flavors, sugar), chocolate mini cone (wheat flour, sugar, cocoa processed with alkali, soybean oil, soy lecithin, natural flavors, salt), confectionery coating (cane sugar, coconut oil, cocoa mass, cocoa processed with alkali, calcium carbonate, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, natural vanilla flavor), semisweet chocolate chips (cane sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, soy lecithin (emulsifier)), coconut oil, coconut

Additives: E170 Calcium carbonates , E170i Calcium carbonate , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E407 Carrageenan , E410 Locust bean gum , E412 Guar gum

As written on the pack

ICE CREAM (MILK, CREAM, CANE SUGAR, CONDENSED SKIM MILK, WHEY, EGG YOLKS, GUAR GUM, CAROB BEAN GUM, CARRAGEENAN, NATURAL FLAVORS, SUGAR), CHOCOLATE MINI CONE (WHEAT FLOUR, SUGAR, COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, SOYBEAN OIL, SOY LECITHIN, NATURAL FLAVORS, SALT), CONFECTIONERY COATING (CANE SUGAR, COCONUT OIL, COCOA MASS, COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, CALCIUM CARBONATE, COCOA BUTTER, SOY LECITHIN, NATURAL VANILLA FLAVOR), SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS (CANE SUGAR, COCOA MASS, COCOA BUTTER, SOY LECITHIN [EMULSIFIER]), COCONUT OIL. CONTAINS MILK, EGG, SOY, WHEAT, COCONUT.

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.

  • E170 Calcium carbonates Calcium carbonate is chalk.
  • 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.
  • E407 Carrageenan Carrageenan is a thickener and gelling agent extracted from red seaweed, used widely in dairy desserts, plant-based drinks and processed meats.
  • E410 Locust bean gum Locust bean gum (carob gum) is a thickener and stabiliser from the seeds of the carob tree.
  • E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.
  • Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.
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  • 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.

  • Whey Whey is the liquid left over from cheese making, usually dried into a powder and used as a cheap source of milk solids, protein and lactose.
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.

  • Ice creams Products in the category "Ice creams" are at least group 3.
  • 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 13 ice cream cones

From least to most processed, this one ranks 6th. 100% of the ice cream cones 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 13 ice cream cones, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00628341, last edited 27 May 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.