Is Irwins 4 Ancient Grain Muffins ultra-processed?

English muffins 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:

Gluten
Vegetable fiber

35 ingredients
2 additives
Nutri-Score C

Less processed english muffins

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

Water, Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Ancient Cereal Mix 30%, Wheat Flour, Rye Flour, Einkorn Wheat, Wheat Gluten (ultra-processing marker), Emmer Wheat, Spelt Flour, Millet Seeds, Brown Linseeds, Sunflower Seeds, Palm Oil, Sugar (processing marker), Sugar Beet Fibre (ultra-processing marker), Sea Salt (processing marker), Barley Malt Extract, Brown Sugar (processing marker), Honey (processing marker), Rapeseed Oil, Sourdough (Spelt Wheat), Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid), Rice Flour, Yeast, Preservative (processing marker) (Calcium Propionate), including cereals containing gluten, NOT

Additives: E282 Calcium propionate , E300 Ascorbic acid

As written on the pack

Water, Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Ancient Cereal Mix (30%) (Wholemeal Wheat Flour, Wholemeal Rye Flour, Einkorn Wheat, Wheat Gluten, Emmer Wheat, Wholegrain Spelt Flour, Millet Seeds, Brown Linseeds, Sunflower Seeds, Palm Oil, Sugar, Sugar Beet Fibre, Sea Salt, Barley Malt Extract, Brown Sugar, Honey, Rapeseed Oil, Sourdough (Wholemeal Spelt Wheat), Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid), Rice Flour, Yeast, Preservative (Calcium Propionate). ALLERGY ADVICE: For allergens, including cereals containing gluten, see ingredients in bold. Suitable for vegetarians, NOT suitable for vegans.

What makes it ultra-processed

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.

Gluten Wheat gluten, sold as "vital wheat gluten", is the protein washed out of wheat flour.
Vegetable fiber Isolated plant fibres, such as inulin, oat fibre or bamboo fibre, are extracted industrially and added to change texture or support "source of fibre" claims.

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.

Honey Honey, used as a sweetener.
Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 31 english muffins

From least to most processed, this one ranks 19th. 90% of the english muffins 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 31 english muffins, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5013427015583, 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 C (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.