Is Marks & Spencer 2 syrup sponge puddings ultra-processed?

2 x 105 g Pastries Sold in the United Kingdom

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Invert sugar
E450 Diphosphates
E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

13 ingredients
3 additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed pastries

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

Colden Syrup (Invert Sugar Syrup (ultra-processing marker)), Wheatflour contains Cluten (with), per per 105g Wheatflour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, pudding Thiamin) Sugar Pasteurised Egg Unsalted 1583 Butter, Whole Milk Palm Oil Rapeseed Oil 376 Raising Agent (e450 (ultra-processing marker)), e501 Cornflour Emulsifier (e471 Natural Flavouring)

Additives: E450 Diphosphates , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E501 Potassium carbonates

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids.

As written on the pack

Colden Syrup (Invert Sugar Syrup) Wheatflour contains Cluten (with) per per 105g Wheatflour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, pudding Thiamin) Sugar Pasteurised Egg Unsalted 1583 Butter (Milk) Whole Milk Palm Oil Rapeseed Oil 376 Raising Agent: E450, E501 Cornflour Emulsifier: E471 Natural Flavouring

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.

E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.

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.

Invert sugar Invert sugar is ordinary sugar split into glucose and fructose with acid or enzymes.

1 ingredient that would only make it processed

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

Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 205 pastries

From least to most processed, this one ranks 75th. 87% of the pastries 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 205 pastries, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00118583, last edited 19 February 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.