Is it ultra-processed?
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Is M&S Sunflower and spelt loaf ultra-processed?

550g Breads Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of M&S Sunflower and spelt loaf

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:

  • 12 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score A

Less processed breads

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 Sunflower Seeds 10%, Spelt, Spelt Flakes, Wheat Gluten, Wheat Fibre, Wheat Bran, Yeast (Yeast Vitamin D Yeast), Rye Flour, Cornish Sea Salt Rapeseed Oil Fermented Wheat Flour, Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid)

Additives: E300 Ascorbic acid

As written on the pack

Wheatflour contains Gluten (with Wheatflour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin) Wildfarmed Wheatflour contains Gluten (with Wheatflour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin) (16%) Water Sunflower Seeds (10%) Wholemeal Spelt (Wheat contains Gluten) (5%). Spelt Flakes (Wheat contains Gluten) (3.5%) Wheat Gluten - Wheat Fibre (contains Gluten) Wheat Bran (contains Gluten) Yeast (Yeast Vitamin D Yeast) Rye Flour (contains Gluten). Cornish Sea Salt Rapeseed Oil Fermented Wheat Flour (contains Gluten) Flour Treatment Agent: Ascorbic Acid.

What makes it ultra-processed

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.

  • Gluten Wheat gluten, sold as "vital wheat gluten", is the protein washed out of wheat flour.
  • 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 2,390 breads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 1242nd. 71% of the breads 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 2,390 breads, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 29296088, 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 A (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.