GoodSwap Get notified
Trader Joe's Mango Cream Bars
Photo: Open Food Facts contributors (CC BY-SA)

Ice pops

Trader Joe's Mango Cream Bars

Poor out of 100 Medium confidence
  • Ultra-processed
  • Contains added sugars
  • Contains emulsifiers studied for gut effects
Get GoodSwap

Why it scores 30

Trader Joe's Mango Cream Bars scores 30 out of 100 (Poor) under GoodSwap’s published rules. What moved the score most:

  1. Sugar: An added sugar. Strong
  2. Ultra-processed (NOVA 4): Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. Strong
  3. Sugars 22.1 g / 100 g: Very high in sugar. Strong

Every line of the math is on The Receipt below, with its evidence tier and sources.

Better ice cream bars and frozen treats

The same kind of product, at least 10 points higher, sold in the US. Never paid placements.

The Receipt

Mango Cream Bars

START100

Ingredients

  • Sugar
    Strong An added sugar. [1][2][3]
  • Carrageenan
    Strong In the NutriNet-Santé cohort, higher carrageenan intake was associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes; cause and effect is not established. [4][5][6][7]
  • Guar gum
    Info An ingredient class typical of ultra-processed foods (NOVA group 4). [8]
  • Locust bean gum
    Info An ingredient class typical of ultra-processed foods (NOVA group 4). [8]
  • Natural flavors
    Info "Natural flavor" is a legal category (21 CFR 101.22(a)(3)): flavor substances from spices, fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy or fermentation. [9][8]
  • Xanthan gum
    Info An ingredient class typical of ultra-processed foods (NOVA group 4). [8]
subtotal−34.5

Processing

  • Ultra-processed (NOVA 4)
    Strong Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. [8]
  • 2 kinds of ultra-processing markers
    Emerging Industrial additive classes found: flavoring and thickener, stabilizer or gelling agent. [8]
subtotal−19.5

Nutrition per 100 g

  • Sugars 22.1 g / 100 g
    Strong Very high in sugar. [1]
  • Saturated fat 4.3 g / 100 g
    Strong High in saturated fat. [10]
subtotal−16
TOTAL 30Poor

100 − 70 = 30

Can’t score above 79. Contains sugar, an ingredient of high concern. [1][2][3]

GTIN 00007486000098 · 2026-01-16

score v1.3.0 · kb 2026.10.11

Medium confidence

Same product, same score. Every time.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy157 kcal
Fat7.1 g
Saturated fat4.3 g
Carbohydrates25.7 g
Sugars22.1 g
Added sugars18.6 g
Fiber0.7 g
Protein2.9 g

Ingredients

High Moderate Not recognized Tap an ingredient for its evidence and rules.
Label text, as published

VANILLA ICE CREAM (MILK, CREAM, CANE SUGAR, CONDENSED SKIM MILK, WHEY, EGG YOLK, GUAR GUM, CAROB BEAN GUM, CARRAGEENAN, NATURAL VANILLA FLAVOR), MANGO PUREE, WATER, CANE SUGAR, CITRIC ACID (ACIDULANT), GUAR GUM, XANTHAN GUM.

Allergens and diets

Contains: Milk, Egg

  • Not vegan
  • Palm-oil-free

Always check the package: recipes change.

Healthiest ice pops in the US

More from Trader Joe's

Sources

  1. Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children

    World Health Organization · Mar 4, 2015 · Agency assessment

    “In both adults and children, WHO recommends reducing the intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake”

    who.int

  2. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030

    U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture · January 2026 · Regulator

    “Limit foods and beverages that include artificial flavors, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives, and low-calorie non-nutritive sweeteners.”

    cdn.realfood.gov

  3. Added and free sugars should be as low as possible

    European Food Safety Authority · Feb 28, 2022 · Agency assessment

    “Sugar consumption is a known cause of dental caries.”

    efsa.europa.eu

  4. Food additive emulsifiers and the risk of type 2 diabetes: analysis of data from the NutriNet-Santé prospective cohort study

    The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology · May 2024 · Peer-reviewed

    “We found direct associations between the risk of type 2 diabetes and exposures to various food additive emulsifiers widely used in industrial foods, in a large prospective cohort of French adults.”

    doi.org

  5. Dietary emulsifiers impact the mouse gut microbiota promoting colitis and metabolic syndrome

    Nature · Mar 5, 2015 · Peer-reviewed

    “carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate-80, induced low-grade inflammation and obesity/metabolic syndrome in wild-type hosts and promoted robust colitis in mice predisposed to this disorder.”

    doi.org

  6. Re-evaluation of carrageenan (E 407) and processed Eucheuma seaweed (E 407a) as food additives

    European Food Safety Authority · Apr 26, 2018 · Agency assessment

    “However, the Panel noted uncertainties as regards the chemistry, the exposure assessment and biological and toxicological data.”

    doi.org

  7. Agents Classified by the IARC Monographs, Volumes 1–142 (List of Classifications)

    International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO) · IARC

    monographs.iarc.who.int

  8. Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them

    Public Health Nutrition · April 2019 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  9. 21 CFR 101.22 Foods; labeling of spices, flavorings, colorings and chemical preservatives

    Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), U.S. Office of the Federal Register · Dec 19, 2016 · Law

    “whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.”

    ecfr.gov

  10. Saturated fatty acid and trans-fatty acid intake for adults and children: WHO guideline

    World Health Organization · Jul 17, 2023 · Agency assessment

    “WHO recommends that adults and children reduce saturated fatty acid intake to 10% of total energy intake (strong recommendation).”

    who.int

  11. Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses

    BMJ · Feb 28, 2024 · Peer-reviewed

    “Greater exposure to ultra-processed food was associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, especially cardiometabolic, common mental disorder, and mortality outcomes.”

    doi.org

  12. Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake

    Cell Metabolism · July 2019 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  13. Randomized Controlled-Feeding Study of Dietary Emulsifier Carboxymethylcellulose Reveals Detrimental Impacts on the Gut Microbiota and Metabolome

    Gastroenterology · March 2022 · Peer-reviewed

    “Relative to control subjects, CMC consumption modestly increased postprandial abdominal discomfort and perturbed gut microbiota composition in a way that reduced its diversity.”

    doi.org

  14. Food additive emulsifiers and risk of cardiovascular disease in the NutriNet-Santé cohort: prospective cohort study

    BMJ · Sep 6, 2023 · Peer-reviewed

    “This study found positive associations between risk of CVD and intake of five individual and two groups of food additive emulsifiers widely used in industrial foods.”

    doi.org