Is Essential Waitrose 4 Blueberry Muffins 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
- 8 additives
- Nutri-Score D
Less processed fruit muffins
Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
Fortified wheat flour (wheat flour, calcium carbonate, iron, niacin, thiamin), sugar (processing marker), rapeseed oil, free range pasteurised egg, blueberries 12%, humectant (ultra-processing marker) (vegetable glycerine (ultra-processing marker)), maize starch (processing marker), milk whey powder (ultra-processing marker), raising agents (sodium phosphates, potassium carbonate), milk proteins (ultra-processing marker), rice starch (processing marker), tapioca starch (processing marker), preservative (processing marker) (potassium sorbate (processing marker)), flavouring (ultra-processing marker), emulsifiers (ultra-processing marker) (polyglycerol esters of fatty acids (ultra-processing marker), mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (ultra-processing marker)), stabiliser (xanthan gum (ultra-processing marker))
Additives: E202 Potassium sorbate , E339 Sodium phosphates , E415 Xanthan gum , E422 Glycerol , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E475 Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids , E501 Potassium carbonates , E501i Potassium carbonate
As written on the pack
Fortified wheat flour (wheat flour, calcium carbonate, iron, niacin, thiamin), sugar, rapeseed oil, free range pasteurised egg, blueberries (12%), humectant (vegetable glycerine), maize starch, milk whey powder, raising agents (sodium phosphates, potassium carbonate), milk proteins, rice starch, tapioca starch, preservative (potassium sorbate), flavouring, emulsifiers (polyglycerol esters of fatty acids, mono - and diglycerides of fatty acids), stabiliser (xanthan gum)
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.
- E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
- E422 Glycerol Glycerol is a sweet-tasting liquid used to keep products moist and soft.
- E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
- E475 Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids 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.
- 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.
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- Humectant Humectants are substances which prevent foods from drying out by counteracting the effect of an atmosphere having a low degree of humidity, or promote the dissolution of a powder in an aqueous medium.
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.
- Milk proteins Milk proteins are proteins separated from milk, such as caseinates and whey protein concentrates, added to adjust texture or raise protein content.
- 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.
5 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.
- Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
- Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
- Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.
Among 8 fruit muffins
From least to most processed, this one ranks 6th. 75% of the fruit muffins here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000169619162, 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 D (from A, best, to E).
- General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.