Is Bramwells Express Roasted Vegetable Cous Cous ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 28 ingredients
- 3 additives
Less processed cereal semolinas
Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
cous cous 88% (Durum Wheat Semolina), vegetables 3.5% (Tomato, Red and Green Bell Pepper, Onion, Tomato), Glucose Syrup (ultra-processing marker), Sugar (processing marker), Salt (processing marker), Flavourings (ultra-processing marker), Rapeseed Oil, Sunflower Oil (processing marker), Spices (Paprika Powder, Garlic, Onion, Pepper), Turmeric, Acid (Malic Acid), Colour (ultra-processing marker) (Paprika Extract (ultra-processing marker)), Maltodextrin (ultra-processing marker), Celery Seeds, Whey (ultra-processing marker), Emulsifier (ultra-processing marker) (Lecithins (ultra-processing marker))
Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E296 Malic acid , E322 Lecithins
As written on the pack
COUS COUS (88%) (Durum Wheat Semolina), VEGETABLES (3.5%) (Tomato, Red and Green Bell Pepper, Onion, Tomato Powder), Glucose Syrup, Sugar, Salt, Flavourings, Rapeseed Oil and/or Sunflower Oil, Spices (Paprika Powder, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Pepper), Turmeric, Acid: Malic Acid; Colour: Paprika Extract; Maltodextrin, Celery Seeds, Whey (Milk), Emulsifier: Lecithins (Soya)
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.
- E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
- 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.
- Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
- Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.
- 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.
- Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
- Glucose syrup Glucose syrup is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
- Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
- 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.
- Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
- Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
- Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
- Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
Among 39 cereal semolinas
From least to most processed, this one ranks 39th. 33% of the cereal semolinas here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4088600513119, 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.
- General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.