Is M&S Food Classic Mayo ultra-processed?

450ml Mayonnaises 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:

Flavouring
E415 Xanthan gum

13 ingredients
2 additives
Nutri-Score E

Less processed mayonnaises

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

Rapeseed Oil 78%, Water, Egg 6%, Vinegar, Pasteurised Egg Yolk 1.5%, Salt (processing marker), Sugar (processing marker), Concentrated Lemon Juice Stabiliser (Xanthan Gum (ultra-processing marker)), Antioxidant (e392), Flavourings (ultra-processing marker) (contain Mustard)

Additives: E392 Extracts of rosemary , E415 Xanthan gum

As written on the pack

Rapeseed Oil (78%), Water, Pasteurised Egg (6%), Vinegar, Pasteurised Egg Yolk (1.5%), Salt, Sugar, Concentrated Lemon Juice Stabiliser: Xanthan Gum, Antioxidant: E392, Flavourings (contain Mustard).

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.

E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

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 239 mayonnaises

From least to most processed, this one ranks 122nd. 72% of the mayonnaises 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 239 mayonnaises, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 29339181, 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 E (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.