Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Marks & Spencer Blueberry Wheats ultra-processed?

500 g Filled cereals Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Marks & Spencer Blueberry Wheats

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:

  • 15 ingredients
  • 5 additives
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed extruded cereals

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

Wheat, Blueberry 10%, Humectant (nut Glycerol), Dextrose, Glucose Syrup, Sugar, Maltodextrin, Gelling Agent (Pectin), Acid (Malic Acid), Blueberry Flavourings, e333iii, Tricalcium Citrate

Additives: E296 Malic acid , E333 Calcium citrates , E333iii Tricalcium citrate , E422 Glycerol , E440 Pectins

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E422 Glycerol.

As written on the pack

Wholegrain Wheat (contains Gluten) (72%), Reconstituted Blueberry Purée (10%), Humectant: nut Glycerol, Dextrose, Glucose Syrup, Sugar, Maltodextrin, Gelling Agent: Pectin - Acid: Malic Acid, Blueberry Flavourings, E333 (iii), Tricalcium Citrate,

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.

  • E422 Glycerol Glycerol is a sweet-tasting liquid used to keep products moist and soft.
  • E440 Pectins Pectins are gelling agents extracted from citrus peel or apple pomace.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • Gelling agent Gelling agents such as pectin, gelatine or carrageenan set liquids into gels and stabilise textures.
  • Humectant Humectants are substances which prevent foods from drying out by counteracting the effect of an atmosphere having a low degree of humidity, or promote the dissolution of a powder in an aqueous medium.

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.

  • Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Glucose syrup Glucose syrup is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
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.

  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 26 filled cereals

From least to most processed, this one ranks 22nd. 100% of the filled cereals 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 26 filled cereals, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 29310630, last edited 29 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.