Cookies
Trader Joe's Brown butter salted caramel mini biscotti
10 unit
Score
- Ultra-processed
- High in sugar
- High in saturated fat
- Contains added sugars
- Contains palm oil
- Seed-oil free
Why it scores 2
Trader Joe's Brown butter salted caramel mini biscotti scores 2 out of 100 (Bad) under GoodSwap’s published rules. What moved the score most:
- minus 20 points Sugar: An added sugar. Strong
- minus 20 points Caramel: An added sugar. Strong
- minus 18 points Ultra-processed (NOVA 4): Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. Strong
Every line of the math is on The Receipt below, with its evidence tier and sources.
Better cookies
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French Butter Cookies with Sea Salt La Grande Galette St Michel · 36 cookies, 21.16 oz Not ultra-processed · Less sugar Score 61 out of 100 , 59 points higher -
All-Butter Shortbread Fingers Walkers · 150 g 5.3 oz Not ultra-processed · Less sugar Score 49 out of 100 , 47 points higher -
Brown Rice Snaps Unsalted Plain Organic · 3.5 oz/100 g Not ultra-processed · Less sugar Score 99 out of 100 , 97 points higher -
Brown Rice Snaps Vegetable Edward & Sons · 3.5 oz/100 g Not ultra-processed · Less sugar Score 91 out of 100 , 89 points higher -
Peanut butter fudge no bake cookies Walmart · 12.38 oz Less saturated fat · No palm oil Score 43 out of 100 , 41 points higher
The same kind of product, at least 10 points higher, sold in the US. Never paid placements.
The Receipt
Brown butter salted caramel mini biscotti
Ingredients
- Sugar minus 20 points
- Caramel minus 20 points
- Lactose minus 10 points
Processing
- Ultra-processed (NOVA 4) minus 18 points
- 4 kinds of ultra-processing markers minus 4.5 points
Nutrition per 100 g
- Sugars 38.5 g / 100 g minus 14 points
- Saturated fat 9.6 g / 100 g minus 7 points
- Salt 0.9 g / 100 g minus 3 points
- Energy 462 kcal / 100 g minus 2 points
100 − 98.5 = 1.5 → 2
Can’t score above 79. Contains sugar, an ingredient of high concern. [1][2][3]
Can’t score above 79. High in saturated fat and sugars (above the front-of-pack "high" level). [7]
Nutrition per 100 g
| Energy | 462 kcal |
|---|---|
| Fat | 15.4 g |
| Saturated fat | 9.6 g |
| Trans fat | 0 g |
| Carbohydrates | 69.2 g |
| Sugars | 38.5 g |
| Added sugars | 34.6 g |
| Fiber | 0 g |
| Protein | 7.7 g |
| Salt | 0.9 g |
Serving: 26g
Ingredients
- Unbleached enriched flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid)
- cane sugar (high concern)
- eggs
- butter (cream, salt)
- caramel-flavored confectionery (palm kernel oil, lactose, nonfat dry milk, cane sugar, whole milk powder, cocoa powder, hydrogenated palm oil, sea salt, natural flavors, soy lecithin) (high concern)
- natural vanilla flavor
- brown butter powder (butter, nonfat milk, natural flavor, disodium phosphate, natural flavors)
- leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, cornstarch, monocalcium phosphate) (not recognized)
- sea salt
Label text, as published
Unbleached enriched flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), cane sugar, eggs, butter (cream, salt), caramel-flavored confectionery (palm kernel oil, lactose, nonfat dry milk, cane sugar, whole milk powder, cocoa powder, hydrogenated palm oil, sea salt, natural flavors, soy lecithin), natural vanilla flavor, brown butter powder (butter (sweet cream, salt), nonfat milk, natural flavor, disodium phosphate, natural flavors), leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, cornstarch, monocalcium phosphate), sea salt. Contains milk, egg, soy, wheat. May contain almond, hazelnut, pecan, pistachio, walnut.
Allergens and diets
Contains: Milk, Soy, Wheat, Gluten, Egg
May contain: Tree nuts
- Not vegan
- Not gluten-free
- Not palm-oil-free
Always check the package: recipes change.
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More from Trader Joe's
Sources
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Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children
“In both adults and children, WHO recommends reducing the intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake”
who.int
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Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030
“Limit foods and beverages that include artificial flavors, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives, and low-calorie non-nutritive sweeteners.”
cdn.realfood.gov
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Added and free sugars should be as low as possible
“Sugar consumption is a known cause of dental caries.”
efsa.europa.eu
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Saturated fatty acid and trans-fatty acid intake for adults and children: WHO guideline
“WHO recommends that adults and children reduce saturated fatty acid intake to 10% of total energy intake (strong recommendation).”
who.int
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“For adults, WHO recommends less than 2000 mg/day of sodium (equivalent to less than 5 g/day salt), or just under a teaspoon.”
who.int
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“Table 3: Criteria for drinks (per 100ml)”
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
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“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
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“Glycidyl fatty acid esters, expressed as glycidol”
eur-lex.europa.eu