Is it ultra-processed?
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Is 12 grain whole bread, 12 grain ultra-processed?

Breads Sold in the United States

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:

  • 24 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed breads

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

Whole wheat flour, water, wheat gluten, sugar, sunflower seeds, flaxseed, wheat, rye, corn, oats, millet, triticale, brown rice, barley, buckwheat, soybean oil, yeast, salt, grain vinegar, wheat starch, natural flavors, reb a (stevia leaf sweetener), soy lecithin, citric acid, nuts (walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts (filberts)), soy, whey

Additives: E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

Whole wheat flour, water, wheat gluten, sugar, sunflower seeds, flaxseed, whole grains (wheat, rye, corn, oats, millet, triticale, brown rice, barley, buckwheat), soybean oil, yeast, salt, grain vinegar, cultured wheat starch, natural flavors, reb a (stevia leaf sweetener), soy lecithin, citric acid, nuts [walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts (filberts)], soy, whey.

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.

  • E322 Lecithins Lecithins are fatty substances extracted mostly from soybeans, sunflower seeds or eggs, used as emulsifiers to keep fat and water mixed, for example in chocolate.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

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.

  • Gluten Wheat gluten, sold as "vital wheat gluten", is the protein washed out of wheat flour.
  • 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.
4 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.

  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 2,388 breads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 1836th. 71% of the breads 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 2,388 breads, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0073410955635, last edited 26 February 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.