Is Lidl Breakfast biscuits ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 33 ingredients
- 4 additives
- Nutri-Score D
Less processed breakfast biscuit
Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
Cereals 68% (Wheat Flour, Oat Flakes, Wheat Flour, Rye Flour, Barley Flour), Sugar (processing marker), Vegetable Oil (processing marker) (Rapeseed Vegetable Oil, Palm Vegetable Oil, Coconut Vegetable Oil), Whole Milk Powder (processing marker) 1.3%, Skimmed Milk Powder (processing marker) 1.3%, Salt (processing marker), Whey Powder (ultra-processing marker), Emulsifiers (ultra-processing marker) (mono- and Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids (ultra-processing marker)), Rapeseed Lecithins (ultra-processing marker), Maltodextrin (ultra-processing marker), Natural Flavourings (ultra-processing marker), Magnesium Oxide, Raising Agents (Sodium Carbonates), Ammonium Carbonates, Egg, Vitamin B3, Iron, Glucose Syrup (ultra-processing marker), Vitamin B1, vitamins, vitamin B2, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid
Additives: E322 Lecithins , E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E500 Sodium carbonates , E503 Ammonium carbonates
As written on the pack
68% Cereals (43% Wheat Flour, 12% Oat Flakes, 5% Wholemeal Wheat Flour, 4% Rye Flour, 4% Barley Flour), Sugar, Vegetable Oil (Rapeseed, Palm, Coconut), 1.3% Whole Milk Powder, 1.3% Skimmed Milk Powder, Salt, Whey Powder (Milk), Emulsifiers: Mono - and Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono - and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids, Rapeseed Lecithins; Maltodextrin, Natural Flavourings, Magnesium Oxide, Raising Agents: Sodium Carbonates, Ammonium Carbonates; Egg, Vitamin B3, Iron, Glucose Syrup, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B6, Folic 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.
- E322 Lecithins Lecithins are fatty substances extracted mostly from soybeans, sunflower seeds or eggs, used as emulsifiers to keep fat and water mixed, for example in chocolate.
- E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids 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.
- Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
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.
- Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
- Glucose syrup Glucose syrup is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
- 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.
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.
- Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
- Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
- Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
- Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.
- Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.
Among 28 breakfast biscuit
From least to most processed, this one ranks 21st. 82% of the breakfast biscuit here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4056489154631, 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 D (from A, best, to E).
- General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.