Is it ultra-processed?
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Is chicken flavour instant noodles ultra-processed?

Instant noodles Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of chicken flavour instant noodles

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:

  • 21 ingredients
  • 2 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

Noodles 94% (Wheat Flour, Palm Oil, Salt, Sugar, Garlic Powder, Stabiliser (Guar Gum)), Seasoning 6% (Maltodextrin, Salt, Yeast Extract, Sugar, Garlic Powder, Turmeric Powder, Onion Powder, Parsley, White Pepper, Colour (Turmeric Extract)), ! 20 12 2025 A1 Allergy advice

Additives: E100 Curcumin , E412 Guar gum

As written on the pack

Noodles (94%) (Wheat Flour, Palm Oil, Salt, Sugar, Garlic Powder, Stabiliser: Guar Gum), Seasoning (6%) (Maltodextrin, Salt, Yeast Extract, Sugar, Garlic Powder, Turmeric Powder, Onion Powder, Dried Parsley, White Pepper, Colour: Turmeric Extract). ! 20 12 2025 A1 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.
  • E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.

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.
2 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.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 242 instant noodles

From least to most processed, this one ranks 68th. 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 01854619, last edited 21 July 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.