Is Asda Extra Special Wholemeal and Rye Sourdough ultra-processed?

Breads Sold in the United Kingdom

It's processed, but not ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Whole foods combined with:

Salt
Starch
Sugar

22 ingredients
1 additive
Nutri-Score A

Less processed breads

Crafted Signature Sourdough Bread Marks & Spencer 7 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 1
Slow Fermented White Sourdough Toastie Loaf Co-op Irresistible 9 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 1
Rye sourdough flatbread - M&S Food Marks & Spencer 7 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 1
Spelt Sourdough Bread Waitrose 8 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 1

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

Fortified Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin (B3), Thiamin (B1)), Water, Wheat Flour 15%, Rye Flour 11%, Molasses (processing marker), Malted Barley Flour, Salt (processing marker), Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Extract, Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid), Potato Starch (processing marker), Rapeseed Oil, Wheat Flour, al for

Additives: E300 Ascorbic acid

As written on the pack

Fortified Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin (B3), Thiamin (B1)], Water, Wholemeal Wheat Flour (15%). Rye Flour (11%), Molasses, Malted Barley Flour, Salt, Fermented Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Extract, Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid), Potato Starch, Rapeseed Oil, Wheat Flour. al for

What makes it processed

Culinary ingredients

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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 2,390 breads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 592nd. 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 2,390 breads, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5057172736669, last edited 27 March 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 A (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.