Is it ultra-processed?
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Is M&S Mackerel Pate ultra-processed?

115 g Mackerels Sold in the United Kingdom and Jersey

Pack of M&S Mackerel Pate

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:

  • 23 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed mackerels

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

Mackerel 39% (Mackerel, Salt), Full Fat Soft Cheese, Smoked Peppered Mackerel 16% (Mackerel, Salt, Cracked Black Pepper, Cracked White Pepper, Red Peppers), Crème Fraîche, Lemon Juice, Horseradish, Rapeseed Oil, Vinegar, Sugar, Cracked Black Pepper, Single Cream, Whole Egg, Salt, Stabiliser (Xanthan Gum, Mustard)

Additives: E415 Xanthan gum

As written on the pack

Smoked Mackerel (39%) (Mackerel (Fish) (98%) · Salt) · Full Fat Soft Cheese (Milk) (26%) · Smoked Peppered Mackerel (16%) (Mackerel (Fish) (96%) · Salt · Cracked Black Pepper · Cracked White Pepper · Dried Red Peppers) Crème Fraîche (Milk) · Lemon Juice · Horseradish · Rapeseed Oil · Vinegar · Sugar · Cracked Black Pepper · Single Cream (Milk) · Dried Whole Egg · Salt · Stabiliser: Xanthan Gum · Dried 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.
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.

  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 64 mackerels

From least to most processed, this one ranks 61st. 9% of the mackerels 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 64 mackerels, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00262088, 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.