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Is M&S Milk Chocolate Covered Pistachios ultra-processed?

130 g Chocolate covered nuts Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of M&S Milk Chocolate Covered Pistachios

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:

  • 11 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed chocolate covered nuts

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

Pistachio Nuts 44%, Sugar, Dried Whole Milk, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Mass, Salt, Emulsifier (Lecithins), Natural Vanilla Flavouring, Stabiliser (Gum Arabic)

Additives: E322 Lecithins , E414 Acacia gum

As written on the pack

Toasted Pistachio Nuts 44%, Sugar, Dried Whole Milk, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Mass, Salt, Emulsifier (Lecithins), Natural Vanilla Flavouring, Stabiliser (Gum Arabic)

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.

  • E322 Lecithins Lecithins are fatty substances extracted mostly from soybeans, sunflower seeds or eggs, used as emulsifiers to keep fat and water mixed, for example in chocolate.
  • E414 Acacia gum Gum arabic (acacia gum) is the hardened sap of acacia trees, used to stabilise flavour emulsions in soft drinks and to coat sweets.
  • Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
4 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.
  • Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.
  • Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 43 chocolate covered nuts

From least to most processed, this one ranks 18th. 86% of the chocolate covered nuts 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 43 chocolate covered nuts, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 29397822, 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.