Is Irn-Bru Original and Best ultra-processed?

500 mL Sodas Sold in the United Kingdom

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Colour
E110 Sunset yellow FCF
E124 Ponceau 4r
E950 Acesulfame k

14 ingredients
5 additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed sodas

Boisson petillante Belvoir Fleur de Surea Belvoir Fruit Farms 5 ingredients · 1 additive NOVA group 3
Raspberry lemonade Belvoir fruit farms 4 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Fever-Tree premium Indian tonic water Waitrose 5 ingredients · 1 additive NOVA group 3
DASH Raspberry Dash water 1 ingredient · no additives NOVA group 3

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

Carbonated Water, Sugar (processing marker), Acid (Citric Acid), Flavourings including Caffeine, Ammonium Ferric Citrate, Quinine, Sweeteners tartane Acesulfame K, Preservative (processing marker) (e211), Colours (ultra-processing marker) (Sunset Yellow FOR Ponceau 4R), Sunset Yellow FCF (ultra-processing marker), Ponceau 4R (ultra-processing marker)

Additives: E110 Sunset yellow FCF , E124 Ponceau 4r , E211 Sodium benzoate , E330 Citric acid , E950 Acesulfame k

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E950 Acesulfame k.

As written on the pack

Carbonated Water, Sugar, Acid (Citric Acid), Flavourings including Caffeine, Ammonium Ferric Citrate & Quinine), Sweeteners tartane Acesulfame K), Preservative (E211), Colours (Sunset Yellow FOR Ponceau 4R). Sunset Yellow FCF & Ponceau 4R:

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.

E110 Sunset yellow FCF Sunset yellow FCF is a synthetic orange azo dye (FD&C Yellow No. 6 in the US).
E124 Ponceau 4r Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
E950 Acesulfame k Acesulfame K is a synthetic sweetener about 200 times sweeter than sugar, often combined with aspartame or sucralose.
Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.

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.

Sodas Products in the category "Sodas" are at least group 3.
Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 612 sodas

From least to most processed, this one ranks 374th. 94% of the sodas 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 612 sodas, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 50271511, last edited 7 May 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.