Is M&S 4 High Protein Maple Pancakes ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 26 ingredients
- 4 additives
- Nutri-Score B
Less processed pancakes
Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
Water (with Wheatflour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Wheatflour, Banana 14%, Egg, Humectant (ultra-processing marker) (Glycerol (ultra-processing marker)), Rapeseed Oil, Wheat Protein, Dried Whole Milk (processing marker), Wheatflour, Egg White, Raising Agents (e450 (ultra-processing marker), Sodium Bicarbonate), Wheat Fibre (ultra-processing marker), Maple Syrup (processing marker), Flavouring (ultra-processing marker), Rowanberry, Cinnamon, Tapioca Starch (processing marker), Vitamin D Yeast
Additives: E422 Glycerol , E450 Diphosphates , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate
As written on the pack
Water, Wheatflour contains Gluten (with Wheatflour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Wholemeal Wheatflour (contains Gluten), Banana Purée (14%), Pasteurised Egg, Humectant (Glycerol), Rapeseed Oil, Wheat Protein (contains Gluten), Dried Whole Milk, Dried Fermented Wheatflour (contains Gluten), Dried Egg White, Raising Agents (E450, Sodium Bicarbonate), Wheat Fibre (contains Gluten), Maple Syrup, Flavouring, Rowanberry Extract, Ground Cinnamon, Tapioca Starch, Vitamin D Yeast.
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.
- E422 Glycerol Glycerol is a sweet-tasting liquid used to keep products moist and soft.
- E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
- Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
- Humectant Humectants are substances which prevent foods from drying out by counteracting the effect of an atmosphere having a low degree of humidity, or promote the dissolution of a powder in an aqueous medium.
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.
- 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.
3 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.
- Maple syrup An ingredient mostly produced industrially and rarely used in home kitchens.
- Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
- Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.
Among 55 pancakes
From least to most processed, this one ranks 49th. 85% of the pancakes here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 29326174, 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 B (from A, best, to E).
- General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.