Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Bramwells Express BRAMWELLS Soba EXPRESS Noodles YAKITORI FLAVOUR ultra-processed?

Instant noodles Sold in the United Kingdom

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:

  • 52 ingredients
  • 9 additives

Less processed instant noodles

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

Wheat Flour, Seasoning Sauce, Water, Sunflower Oil, Vinegar, Flavour Enhancers (Monosodium Glutamate), Disodium 5'-Ribonucleotides, Flavouring (Water, Salt, Maltodextrin, Onion, Yeast Extract, Flavouring, Palm Oil, Corn Starch, Stabiliser (Sodium Carboxy Methyl Cellulose)), Sugar, Soya Sauce (Water, Soya Beans, Salt, Wheat Flour, Fructose Syrup, Sugar, Yeast Extract, Colour (Plain Caramel Preservative), Sodium Benzoate), Onion, Yeast Extract, Colours (Plain Caramel Paprika Extract), Turmeric Extract, Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Palm Oil, Vegetables (Dried Onions, Red Peppers, Chives), Modified Potato Starch lodised Salt (Salt, Potassium Iodate), Sugar, Stabiliser (Guar Gum), Garlic, Acidity Regulator (Sodium Carbonates)

Additives: E100 Curcumin , E160c Paprika extract , E202 Potassium sorbate , E211 Sodium benzoate , E412 Guar gum , E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose , E500 Sodium carbonates , E621 Monosodium glutamate , E635 Disodium 5'-ribonucleotide

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E160c Paprika extract.

As written on the pack

Wheat Flour, Seasoning Sauce [Water, Sunflower Oil, Vinegar, Flavour Enhancers: Monosodium Glutamate, Disodium 5'-Ribonucleotides; Flavouring (Water, Salt, Maltodextrin, Onion Powder, Yeast Extract, Flavouring, Palm Oil, Corn Starch, Stabiliser: Sodium Carboxy Methyl Cellulose), Sugar, Soya Sauce (Water, Soya Beans, Salt, Wheat Flour, Fructose Syrup, Sugar, Yeast Extract, Colour: Plain Caramel Preservative: Sodium Benzoate), Onion Powder, Yeast Extract, Colours: Plain Caramel Paprika Extract; Turmeric Extract, Preservative: Potassium Sorbate), Palm Oil, Vegetables (Dried Onions, Dried Red Peppers, Dried Chives), Modified Potato Starch lodised Salt (Salt, Potassium Iodate), Sugar, Stabiliser: Guar Gum; Garlic Powder, Acidity Regulator: Sodium Carbonates. ALLERGY ADVICE:

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.

  • E100 Curcumin Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
  • E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
  • E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.
  • E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose Carboxymethyl cellulose is a thickener made by chemically modifying cellulose from wood or cotton.
  • E621 Monosodium glutamate Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation and used to strengthen savoury taste.
  • E635 Disodium 5'-ribonucleotide A food additive authorised for industrial food production.
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  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • Flavour enhancer Flavour enhancers such as monosodium glutamate (E621) strengthen savoury taste without adding a flavour of their own.
  • 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.

  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
  • Fructose Fructose is the sugar found naturally in fruit and honey, but as an ingredient it is refined industrially, mostly from corn starch.
7 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.

  • E202 Potassium sorbate Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • 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.
  • Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 242 instant noodles

From least to most processed, this one ranks 219th. 93% of the instant noodles 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 242 instant noodles, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4061463099143, last edited 4 June 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.
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.