Is it ultra-processed?
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Is M&S Oyster Sauce ultra-processed?

Oyster sauces Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of M&S Oyster Sauce

It's processed, but not ultra-processed

  1. 1 Unprocessed
  2. 2 Kitchen staple
  3. 3 Processed
  4. 4 Ultra-processed

Whole foods combined with:

  • 9 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed sauces

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

Water, Sugar, Salt Modified Tapioca Starch, Oyster, Colour Plain Caramel Yeast Extract, Acidity Regulator, lactic Acid, Preservative, e202

Additives: E202 Potassium sorbate , E270 Lactic acid

As written on the pack

Water, Sugar, Salt Modified Tapioca Starch - Oyster (Mollusc) (2.7%), Colour Plain Caramel Yeast Extract, Acidity Regulator - lactic Acid, Preservative - E202

What makes it processed

Culinary ingredients

Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.

  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

Preservation and traditional processing

Keep food safe or ferment it, like preservatives and cultures. A sign of processing, not ultra-processing.

  • E202 Potassium sorbate 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.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 13 oyster sauces

From least to most processed, this one ranks 3rd. 77% of the oyster sauces 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 13 oyster sauces, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 29232833, 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.