Is Lidl Cheddar Cheese Ploughman's Sandwich ultra-processed?

177g Sandwiches 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:

Emulsifier
E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids
E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

55 ingredients
3 additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed sandwiches

Durum Wheat Piadina Crosta Mollica 4 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
5 Large Traditional Lebanese Flat Bread White Dina 10 ingredients · 1 additive NOVA group 3
Spinach and pea burger Plants 44 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Smoky Chipotle + Black Bean Burrito Bowl Pollen + Grace 54 ingredients · 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

Mature Cheddar cheese (processing marker), tomatoes, pickle, lettuce on malted bread Ingredients Malted Bread (Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Water, Malted Wheat Flakes, Wheat Bran, Yeast, Malted Barley Flour, Salt (processing marker), Wheat Protein, Spirit Vinegar, Emulsifiers (ultra-processing marker) (mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids (ultra-processing marker)), mono- and Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids (ultra-processing marker), Malted Wheat Flour, Rapeseed Oil, Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid), Palm Fat, Palm Oil, Wheat Flour), Cheddar Cheese (processing marker) 20%, Tomatoes 18%, Pickle 10% (Sugar (processing marker), Barley Malt Vinegar, Apple, Carrot, Water, Swede, Cauliflower, Onion, Cornflour, Date Paste (Dates, Rice Flo), Spirit Vinegar, Salt (processing marker), Gherkins, Tomato Paste, Barley Malt Extract Concentrated Lemon Juice, Nutmeg, Ground Gger, Garlic, Cloves, Cardamom), Lettuce 5%, including Cereals containing Gluten

Additives: E300 Ascorbic acid , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

As written on the pack

Mature Cheddar cheese, tomatoes, pickle and lettuce on malted bread Ingredients Malted Bread (Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin], Water, Malted Wheat Flakes, Wheat Bran, Yeast, Malted Barley Flour, Salt, Wheat Protein, Spirit Vinegar, Emulsifiers: Mono - and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids, Mono - and Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono - and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids; Malted Wheat Flour, Rapeseed Oil, Flour Treatment Agent: Ascorbic Acid; Palm Fat, Palm Oil, Wheat Flour), 20% Cheddar Cheese (Milk), 18% Tomatoes, 10% Pickle (Sugar, Barley Malt Vinegar, Apple, Carrot, Water, Swede, Cauliflower, Onion, Cornflour, Date Paste [Dates, Rice Flo] Spirit Vinegar, Salt, Gherkins, Tomato Paste, Barley Malt Extract Concentrated Lemon Juice, Ground Nutmeg, Ground Gger, Garlic Powder, Ground Cloves, Ground Cardamom), 5% Lettuce. Allergy Advice For allergens, including Cereals containing Gluten, see ingredients in bold.

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.
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.

4 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.
Sandwiches Products in the category "Sandwiches" are at least group 3.
Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 324 sandwiches

From least to most processed, this one ranks 139th. 82% of the sandwiches 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 324 sandwiches, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4056489900702, 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.