Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Lidl Noodles instant chicken ultra-processed?

Instant noodles Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Lidl Noodles instant chicken

Yes, it's ultra-processed

  1. 1 Unprocessed
  2. 2 Kitchen staple
  3. 3 Processed
  4. 4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

  • 28 ingredients
  • 4 additives

Less processed instant noodles

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

Noodles 95% (Wheat Flour, Palm Oil, Iodised Salt (Salt, Potassium Iodate), Sugar, Garlic, Stabiliser (Guar Gum)), Seasoning (Maltodextrin, Flavouring, Iodised Salt (Salt, Potassium Iodate), Onion, Sugar, Turmeric, Yeast Extract, Colour (Plain Caramel), Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Coriander, Sage, Turmeric Extract), including Cereals containing Gluten

Additives: E100 Curcumin , E150a Plain caramel , E330 Citric acid , E412 Guar gum

As written on the pack

95% Noodles (Wheat Flour, Palm Oil, Iodised Salt [Salt, Potassium Iodate], Sugar, Garlic Powder, Stabiliser: Guar Gum), Seasoning (Maltodextrin, Flavouring, Iodised Salt [Salt, Potassium Iodate], Onion Powder, Sugar, Ground Turmeric, Yeast Extract, Colour: Plain Caramel; Acidity Regulator: Citric Acid; Dried Coriander, Sage Powder, Turmeric Extract). Allergy Advice For allergens, including Cereals containing Gluten, see ingredients in bold. May also contain Soya.

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.

  • E100 Curcumin 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.
  • E150a Plain caramel Plain caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars.
  • E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • 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.

  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
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.

  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 242 instant noodles

From least to most processed, this one ranks 113th. 93% of the instant noodles 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 242 instant noodles, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4056489354918, 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.
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.