The festive season is filled with joy, excitement and plenty of food traditions — and for many families, advent calendars are one of the biggest. Stepping away from the daily chocolate ritual can feel impossible, especially with children in the house. For those of us cutting out UPFs, advent calendars can bring a familiar sense of dread. Most supermarket versions are packed with emulsifiers, artificial flavourings and additives that firmly place them in the ultra processed category.
The good news? As awareness of UPFs grows, a small number of non-UPF chocolate advent calendars are now available — meaning you can enjoy the countdown to Christmas without compromising your choices. Here are the only advent calendars that meet the strict NoMoreUPF standard.
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What Makes an Advent Calendar “Non UPF”?
When we talk about a UPF free advent calendar, we simply mean one where the chocolate is made the old-fashioned way — the way you’d expect from a proper chocolatier, not a mass-produced supermarket calendar.
NOVA, the system used to define ultra-processed foods, focuses on how a food is made, not just which ingredients are used. So here’s the easy version:
It’s made with proper chocolate ingredients
Non UPF chocolate should only contain the basics, such as:
- Cocoa mass
- Cocoa butter
- Sugar
- Milk powder (if it’s milk chocolate)
- Vanilla or vanilla extract
That’s it. A short, sensible ingredients list — nothing strange or industrial.
It avoids the factory-style processing you see in cheap calendars
Most chocolate advent calendars in the UK (the cheap supermarket ones especially) are made using:
- emulsifiers for smoothness
- flavourings to boost taste
- vegetable fats instead of cocoa butter
- preservatives to extend shelf life
These are what push a product into NOVA Group 4 (ultra-processed) — not the chocolate itself, but the industrial shortcuts used to make it cheaper and longer-lasting.
No “reconstituted” chocolate
Anything that sounds like:
- “chocolate flavour coating”
- “compound chocolate”
- “vegetable fat chocolate”
- “reduced cocoa butter blend”
is almost always UPF.
Real chocolate uses cocoa butter — not industrial fat mixes.
In simple terms:
A non UPF chocolate advent calendar is one that uses real chocolate made in the traditional, straightforward way — with none of the additives or industrial processing you find in most supermarket calendars.
It’s a high bar — which is why this list is so small.
Best Non UPF Chocolate Advent Calendars (UK 2025)
These are the only chocolate advent calendars that currently meet strict non UPF criteria.
Montezuma’s Organic Milk Chocolate Advent Calendar
Ingredients:
Organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic whole milk powder, organic cocoa paste, organic vanilla extract.
✔ Why it qualifies
- Just 5 simple ingredients
- No emulsifiers or additives
- No flavourings
- No palm oil
A brilliant choice for children or adults who prefer a gentler milk chocolate.
Links:
Montezuma’s Organic Dark Chocolate Advent Calendar
Ingredients: Organic cocoa mass, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic vanilla extract.
Why it qualifies
- Only 4 recognisable ingredients
- No emulsifiers
- No flavourings or artificial additives
- No palm oil
This is the cleanest dark chocolate calendar widely available in the UK.
Links:
Cocoa Loco Organic Advent Calendar
Cocoa Loco are one of the few UK chocolatiers whose entire range is genuinely UPF-free.
Ingredients: Organic cocoa mass, organic cocoa butter, organic cane sugar, organic milk powder (for milk chocolate).
Why it qualifies
- Just simple ingredients
- No emulsifiers or additives
- No palm oil
Some years Cocoa Loco offer a full advent calendar; other years, their chocolates are perfect for filling a reusable advent calendar — arguably the best UPF free and low waste option available.
Website: https://www.cocoaloco.com/
Why So Few Non UPF Chocolate Advent Calendars Exist
Most mass-market advent calendars rely on:
- Emulsifiers (like soy lecithin)
- Artificial flavours
- Vegetable fats and palm oil
- Preservatives
- Cheap fillers
- Long shelf-life additives
This keeps costs low and storage time long but pushes them deep into the ultra-processed category. Brands like Montezuma’s and Cocoa Loco stand out precisely because they avoid these shortcuts.
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This post will be updated every October with new verified non-UPF advent calendars as brands expand their offerings.