Is it ultra-processed?
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Is M&S Food Chicken, bacon and sweetcorn pasta salad ultra-processed?

380 g Pasta salad with chicken Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of M&S Food Chicken, bacon and sweetcorn pasta salad

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:

  • 57 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed pasta salad with chicken

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

Egg Pasta 38% (Durum Wheat Semolina, Water, Egg), Sweetcorn 17%, Chicken Breast 11%, Tomatoes, Greek Style Yogurt, Water, Bacon 2.5% (Pork Belly 92%, Curing Salt (Salt, Sodium Nitrite), Sugar, Flavouring, Antioxdiant (e301)), Rapeseed Oil, Sourced Cream, Créme Fraîche, Lemon Juice, Sugar, Chives, Garlic Purée, Sunflower Oil, Salt, Cornflour, Fromage Frais, Pasteurised Egg Yolk, Vinegar, Chicory Fibre, White Wine Vinegar, Mutard Seeds, Spices (Smoked Paprika, Sweet Paprika, White Pepper, Allspice, Black Pepper, Cloves, Tumeric), Tomato Paste, Citrus Fibre, Onion, Tamarind Paste, Balsamic Vinegar, Sugar, Egg White, Mustard, Molasses, Smoked Salt, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Dried Onions, Ginger, Mustard, Red Chilli Purée

Additives: E250 Sodium nitrite , E301 Sodium ascorbate

As written on the pack

Cooked Egg Pasta (38%) (Durum Wheat Semolina (contains Gluten) · Water · Pasteurised Egg) · Sweetcorn (17%) · Cooked Chicken Breast (11%) · Tomatoes · Greek Style Yogurt (Milk) · Water · Cooked Bacon (2.5%) (Pork Belly (92%) · Curing Salt (Salt · Preservative: Sodium Nitrite) · Sugar · Flavouring · Antioxdiant: E301) · Rapeseed Oil · Sourced Cream (Milk) · Créme Fraîche (Milk) · Lemon Juice · Sugar · Chives · Garlic Purée · Sunflower Oil · Salt · Cornflour · Fromage Frais (Milk) · Pasteurised Egg Yolk · Vinegar · Chicory Fibre · White Wine Vinegar · Mutard Seeds · Ground Spices (Smoked Paprika · Sweet Paprika · White Pepper · Allspice · Black Pepper · Cloves · Tumeric) · Tomato Paste · Citrus Fibre · Onion Purée · Tamarind Paste · Balsamic Vinegar · Smoked Sugar · Dried Egg White · Dried Mustard · Molasses · Smoked Salt · Concentrated Lemon Juice · Dried Onions · Ginger Purée · Mustard Bran · Red Chilli Purée.

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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • E250 Sodium nitrite Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
  • Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
  • 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 9 pasta salad with chicken

From least to most processed, this one ranks 3rd. 78% of the pasta salad with chicken 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 9 pasta salad with chicken, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00290609, last edited 9 September 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.