Is it ultra-processed?
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Is ICA Potatismos ultra-processed?

420 g (3 x 140 g) Instant mashed potatoes Sold in Sweden

Pack of ICA Potatismos

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:

  • 20 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed instant mashed potatoes

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

potatis 90%, mjölkpulver 7% (mjölkpulver, gräddpulver, vasslepulver från mjölk), salt, emulgeringsmedel (e471), arom, maltodextrin, modifierad tapiokastärkelse, kryddor (svartpepparextrakt, rosmarin, gurkmeja), vitamin C, stabiliseringsmedel (e450a), antioxidationsmedel (natriumdisulfit)

Additives: E223 Sodium metabisulphite , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

As written on the pack

Torkad potatis 90%, mjölkpulver 7% (mjölkpulver, gräddpulver och vasslepulver från mjölk), salt, emulgeringsmedel (E471), arom, maltodextrin, modifierad tapiokastärkelse, kryddor (svartpepparextrakt, rosmarin, gurkmeja), vitamin C, stabiliseringsmedel (E450a), antioxidationsmedel (natriumdisulfit).

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.
  • Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.

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.
  • 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.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 25 instant mashed potatoes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 25th. 76% of the instant mashed potatoes 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 25 instant mashed potatoes, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 7310751194518, last edited 3 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.