Is Marks & Spencer Bramley apple hot cross buns ultra-processed?

260 g Pastries Sold in the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic and France

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Flavouring
Glucose
Gluten
Invert sugar
Fructose
E1400 Dextrin
and 3 more

33 ingredients
5 additives
Nutri-Score C

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

Moistened Dried Sultanas 19% (Sultanas, Water), Water, Bramley Apple 9% (Bramley Apples, Sugar (processing marker), Glucose-Fructose Syrup (ultra-processing marker), Cinnamon), Bramley Apple Compote 4.5% (Bramley Apples, Water, Sugar Apple, Cornflour, Apple Flavouring (ultra-processing marker), Citric Acid), Sugar (processing marker), Rapeseed Oil, Wheat Gluten (ultra-processing marker), Invert Sugar Syrup (ultra-processing marker), e471 (ultra-processing marker), e472e (ultra-processing marker), e470a (ultra-processing marker), Wheat, Yeast, Salt (processing marker), Dextrin (ultra-processing marker), Palm Fat, Spices (Cinnamon, Cassia, Coriander Seeds), Wheat Starch (processing marker)

Additives: E1400 Dextrin , E330 Citric acid , E470a Sodium/potassium and calcium salts of fatty acids , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

As written on the pack

Wheatflour contains Gluten (with Wheatflour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Moistened Dried Sultanas (19%) (Sultanas, Water), Water, Semi-Candied Bramley Apple Pieces (9%) (Bramley Apples, Sugar, Glucose-Fructose Syrup, Ground Cinnamon), Bramley Apple Compote (4.5%) (Bramley Apples, Water, Sugar Apple Purée, Cornflour, Apple Flavouring, Acidity Regulator: Citric Acid), Sugar - Rapeseed Oil, Dried Wheat Gluten, Invert Sugar Syrup, Emulsifier: E471, E472e, E470a, Malted Wheat (contains Gluten), Yeast, Salt, Dextrin, Palm Fat, Ground Spices (Cinnamon, Cassia, Coriander Seeds), Wheat Starch (contains Gluten)

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.

E1400 Dextrin Dextrin is starch partly broken down by heat or acid, used as a thickener, binder and coating.
E470a Sodium/potassium and calcium salts of fatty acids 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.
E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids 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.
Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

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.

Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
Gluten Wheat gluten, sold as "vital wheat gluten", is the protein washed out of wheat flour.
Invert sugar Invert sugar is ordinary sugar split into glucose and fructose with acid or enzymes.
Fructose Fructose is the sugar found naturally in fruit and honey, but as an ingredient it is refined industrially, mostly from corn starch.

4 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.

Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
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 160th. 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 00331500, last edited 22 August 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 C (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.