Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Irish Pride Wholemeal Square Cut Sliced Bread ultra-processed?

400g Breads Sold in Ireland

Pack of Irish Pride Wholemeal Square Cut Sliced Bread

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:

  • 22 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed breads

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

Wheat Flour 49%, Water, Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Wheat Gluten, Yeast, Salt, Soya Flour, Emulsifiers (mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Sodium Stearoyl-2-Lactylate, mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids), Preservative (Calcium Propionate), Dextrose, Vegetable Oils and Fats (Palm and Rapeseed), Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid)

Additives: E282 Calcium propionate , E300 Ascorbic acid , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E481 Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E481 Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate.

As written on the pack

Wholemeal Wheat Flour (49%), Water, Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Wheat Gluten, Yeast, Salt, Soya Flour, Emulsifiers (Mono and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono and diglycerides of fatty acids Sodium Stearoyl-2-Lactylate, Mono and diglycerides of fatty acids), Preservative (Calcium Propionate), Dextrose, Vegetable Oils and Fats (Palm and Rapeseed), Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid).

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.
  • E481 Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate 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.

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.
  • Gluten Wheat gluten, sold as "vital wheat gluten", is the protein washed out of wheat flour.
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.

  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 2,388 breads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 2149th. 71% of the breads 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 2,388 breads, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5099268019003, last edited 2 April 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.