Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Cup Noodles Soba noodle spicy ultra-processed?

92g Instant noodles Sold in the United Kingdom and France

Pack of Cup Noodles Soba noodle spicy

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:

  • 32 ingredients
  • 8 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

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 71.7%, WHEAT flour, palm oil, salt, e621, sodium carbonate, citric acid, e451, e306, sugar, water, dextrose, rapeseed oil, e621, e635, vinegar, soy sauce (water, soybean, salt, wheat), molasses, e150c, salt, spices, hydrolysed maize protein, tomato powder, flavourings, citric acid, chilli 0.5%, cabbage, red bell pepper

Additives: E150c Ammonia caramel , E306 Tocopherol-rich extract , E330 Citric acid , E451 Triphosphates , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500i Sodium carbonate , E621 Monosodium glutamate , E635 Disodium 5'-ribonucleotide

As written on the pack

Noodles 71,7% [WHEAT flour, palm oil, salt, flavour enhancer (E621), acidity regulators (sodium carbonate, citric acid), stabiliser (E451), antioxidants (E306), (sugar, water, dextrose, rapeseed oil, flavour enhancers (E621, E635) vinegar, soy sauce (water, SOYBEAN, salt, WHEAT), molasses, colour (E150c), salt, spices, hydrolysed maize protein, tomato powder, flavourings, acidity regulator (citric acid), chilli powder (0.5%), cabbage, red bell pepper. May also contain traces of celery, crustaceans, fish, milk, molluscs, mustard and sesame

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.

  • E150c Ammonia caramel Ammonia caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars with ammonia compounds.
  • E451 Triphosphates Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
  • 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.
  • 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.

  • Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
3 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.
  • 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 152nd. 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 5997523315535, last edited 3 October 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 D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.