Is Irn-Bru Sparkling Flavoured Soft Drink ultra-processed?

330ml Sodas Sold in the United Kingdom, the United States and France

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Flavouring
E110 Sunset yellow FCF
E124 Ponceau 4r

10 ingredients
4 additives
Nutri-Score C

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), citric acid, flavourings (ultra-processing marker) (including caffeine, ammonium ferric citrate, quinine), e211, sunset yellow (ultra-processing marker), ponceau 4r (ultra-processing marker)

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

As written on the pack

Carbonated water, sugar, acid (citric acid), flavourings (including caffeine, ammonium ferric citrate & quinine), preservative (e211), colours (sunset yellow, 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.
Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

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.

Sodas Products in the category "Sodas" are at least group 3.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 612 sodas

From least to most processed, this one ranks 271st. 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 50107438, last edited 13 August 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.