Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Maekrua oyster sauce ultra-processed?

600ml Oyster sauces Sold in the United Kingdom, France and 2 more countries

Pack of Maekrua oyster sauce

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
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed oyster 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

eingredients (oyster, soy sauce, soybean), wheat flour salt)28.80% water sugar salt (lodized salt), modified starch (thickener (e1414)), corn starch glucono-delta-lactone (acidity regulator e575), sodium benzoate preservative e211) 30.00% 11.80% 10.10% 8.10% 7.50% 3.50% 0.10% 0.10% best before see cap

Additives: E1414 Acetylated distarch phosphate , E14XX Modified Starch , E575 Glucono-delta-lactone

As written on the pack

eingredients: oyster (molluscs)extract soy sauce(soybean, wheat flour salt)28,80% water sugar salt(lodized salt) modified starch (thickener:e1414) corn starch glucono-delta-lactone (acidity regulator e575) sodium benzoate preservative e211) 30,00% 11,80% 10,10% 8,10% 7,50% 3,50% 0,10% 0,10% best before see cap

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.

  • E1414 Acetylated distarch phosphate Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
  • E14xx Modified Starch Modified starches (E1400 to E1452) are starches treated physically, with enzymes or chemically so that they thicken and hold up to heating, freezing or acidity better than ordinary starch.
  • Thickener Thickeners, often gums or modified starches, make liquids more viscous so that a product feels richer than its ingredients alone would make it.
  • Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.
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.

  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 13 oyster sauces

From least to most processed, this one ranks 9th. 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 8850038400080, last edited 31 July 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.