Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Costa Coffee Fruit Flapjack ultra-processed?

Sold in the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic

Pack of Costa Coffee Fruit Flapjack

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:

  • 26 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Ingredients

Ultra-processing Processing signs are highlighted

Oats 32%, Golden Syrup, Vegetable Margarine (Palm Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Water, Emulsifier (e471)), Sultanas 8% (Sultanas, Sunflower Oil), Brown Sugar, Dried Apricots 5% (Apricots, Rice Flour, Preservative), Glucose Syrup, Cranberries 4% (Cranberries, Cane Sugar, Sunflower Oil), Oat Flour, Coconut Flakes (Preservative), Natural Flavourings, Salt

Additives: E220 Sulphur dioxide , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

As written on the pack

Gluten Free Oats (32%), Golden Syrup, Vegetable Margarine (Palm Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Water, Emulsifier: E471), Sultanas (8%) (Sultanas, Sunflower Oil), Brown Sugar, Dried Apricots (5%) (Apricots, Rice Flour, Preservative: Sulphur Dioxide), Glucose Syrup, Sweetened Dried Cranberries (4%) (Cranberries, Cane Sugar, Sunflower Oil), Gluten Free Oat Flour, Coconut Flakes (Preservative: Sulphur Dioxide), Natural Flavourings, Salt.

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.

  • E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
  • 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.
  • Invert sugar Invert sugar is ordinary sugar split into glucose and fructose with acid or enzymes.
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.

  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • 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.

How the NOVA groups work

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5028931183314, 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 E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.