Is Turkey Hill Dutch Chocolate Ice Cream ultra-processed?

1.44 quarts Ice cream tubs Sold in the United States

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Whey
E407 Carrageenan
E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose
E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

11 ingredients
3 additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed ice cream tubs

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

milk, cream, sugar (processing marker), corn syrup, nonfat milk, cocoa processed with alkali, whey (ultra-processing marker), cellulose gel, cellulose gum (ultra-processing marker), mono- and DIGLYCERIDES (ultra-processing marker), carrageenan (ultra-processing marker)

Additives: E407 Carrageenan , E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

As written on the pack

MILK, CREAM, SUGAR, CORN SYRUP, NONFAT MILK, COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, WHEY, CELLULOSE GEL, CELLULOSE GUM, MONO & DIGLYCERIDES, CARRAGEENAN.

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.

E407 Carrageenan Carrageenan is a thickener and gelling agent extracted from red seaweed, used widely in dairy desserts, plant-based drinks and processed meats.
E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose Carboxymethyl cellulose is a thickener made by chemically modifying cellulose from wood or cotton.
E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.

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.

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.

Ice creams Products in the category "Ice creams" are at least group 3.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 147 ice cream tubs

From least to most processed, this one ranks 40th. 90% of the ice cream tubs 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 147 ice cream tubs, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0020735161722, last edited 28 February 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 D (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.