Is it ultra-processed?
Menu

Is Trader Joe's Mint chip Ice cream ultra-processed?

Ice creams Sold in the United States

Pack of Trader Joe's Mint chip Ice cream

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:

  • 18 ingredients
  • 4 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

cream, milk, cane sugar, chocolate (sugar, cocoa processed with alkali, coconut oil, butter oil, soy lecithin, vanilla extract), sugared egg yolks (egg yolks, sugar), peppermint, stabilizer blend, carob bean gum, guar gum, cane sugar

Additives: E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E410 Locust bean gum , E412 Guar gum

As written on the pack

CREAM, MILK, CANE SUGAR, CHOCOLATE FLAVORED CHIPS (SUGAR, COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, COCONUT OIL, BUTTER OIL, SOY LECITHIN, VANILLA EXTRACT), SUGARED EGG YOLKS (EGG YOLKS, SUGAR), PEPPERMINT EXTRACT, STABILIZER BLEND (CAROB BEAN GUM, GUAR GUM, CANE SUGAR

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.

  • 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.
  • 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.
3 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.
  • 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 321 ice creams

From least to most processed, this one ranks 64th. 93% of the ice creams 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 321 ice creams, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00928052, last edited 10 May 2025), 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.