Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Trader Joe's Reduced Fat Milk ultra-processed?

600 g Desserts Sold in the United Kingdom

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:

  • 35 ingredients
  • 8 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed desserts

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

Skimmed Milk, Whipping Cream, Water, Fruit Cocktail 16% (Pears, Peaches, Pineapple, Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Water, Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid)), Sugar, Wheatflour, Skimmed Milk, Tapioca Starch, Egg, Dextrose, Gelling Agent (Pectin), e327, Cornflour, Concentrated Raspberry Juice, Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), e331, Stabiliser (e450), e401, Natural Flavourings, Egg White, Raising Agent (Sodium Bicarbonate), Natural Colour (B-carotenes)

Additives: E327 Calcium lactate , E330 Citric acid , E331 Sodium citrates , E401 Sodium alginate , E440 Pectins , E450 Diphosphates , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate

As written on the pack

Skimmed Milk, Whipping Cream (Milk) (19%), Water, Fruit Cocktail (16%) (Pears, Peaches, Pineapple, Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Water, Acidity Regulator: Citric Acid), Sugar, Wheatflour*, Dried Skimmed Milk, Tapioca Starch, Pasteurised Egg, Dextrose, Gelling Agent: Pectin, E327, Cornflour, Concentrated Raspberry Juice, Acidity Regulator: Citric Acid, E331, Stabiliser: E450, E401, Natural Flavourings, Pasteurised Egg White, Raising Agent: Sodium Bicarbonate, Natural Colour: B-carotenes.

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.

  • E327 Calcium lactate Thickeners are substances which increase the viscosity of a foodstuff.
  • E401 Sodium alginate A food additive used to dissolve, dilute, disperse or otherwise physically modify a food additive or nutrient without altering its function -and without exerting any technological effect itself- in order to facilitate its handling, application or use of the food additive or nutrient.
  • E440 Pectins Pectins are gelling agents extracted from citrus peel or apple pomace.
  • E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
  • 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.
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  • Gelling agent Gelling agents such as pectin, gelatine or carrageenan set liquids into gels and stabilise textures.

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.

  • Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
  • 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.
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.

  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 2,247 desserts

From least to most processed, this one ranks 2086th. 75% of the desserts 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 2,247 desserts, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00601153, last edited 31 May 2026), available under the Open Database License. If something is wrong or the recipe has changed, you can correct it there.
  • 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 D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.