Is Marks & Spencer Chicken carrot and houmous wholemeal wrap ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 54 ingredients
- 8 additives
- Nutri-Score C
Less processed chicken wraps
Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
Wheatflour, Carrots 18% (Carrots, Water, Rice Wine Vinegar, Sugar (processing marker), Salt (processing marker)), Roast Chicken Breast 17%, Water, Chickpeas, Spinach, Pumpkin Seeds, Lemon Juice, Palm Oil Sugar, Carrots, Olive Oil (processing marker), Rapeseed Oil, Onions, White Wine Vinegar, Wheatflour (with Wheatflour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Wheat Fibre (ultra-processing marker), Salt (processing marker), Humectant (ultra-processing marker) (Glycerol (ultra-processing marker)), Garlic Purée, Raising Agent (e450 (ultra-processing marker)), Sodium Bicarbonate, Cracked Black Pepper, Chicken Stock (Water, Chicken Bones, Seaweed, Chicken Skin, Yeast Extract, Shiitake Mushrooms, Sugar (processing marker)), Acidity Regulator (Malic Acid), Cornflour, Potato Starch (processing marker), Emulsifier (ultra-processing marker) (e471 (ultra-processing marker)), Virgin Olive Oil (processing marker), Stabiliser (e466 (ultra-processing marker)), Firming Agent (ultra-processing marker) (e509), Wheat Starch (processing marker)
Additives: E296 Malic acid , E422 Glycerol , E450 Diphosphates , E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate , E509 Calcium chloride
As written on the pack
Wholemeal Wheatflour (contains Gluten), Pickled Carrots (18%) (Carrots, Water, Rice Wine Vinegar, Sugar, Salt), Roast Chicken Breast (17%), Water, Chickpeas, Spinach, Pumpkin Seeds, Lemon Juice, Palm Oil Sugar, Carrots, Olive Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Onions, White Wine Vinegar. Wheatflour (with Wheatflour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Wheat Fibre (contains Gluten), Salt, Humectant: Glycerol, Garlic Purée, Raising Agent: E450, Sodium Bicarbonate, Cracked Black Pepper, Chicken Stock (Water, Chicken Bones, Seaweed, Chicken Skin, Yeast Extract, Shiitake Mushrooms, Sugar), Acidity Regulator: Malic Acid, Cornflour, Potato Starch, Emulsifier: E471, Virgin Olive Oil, Stabiliser: E466, Firming Agent: E509, 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.
- E422 Glycerol Glycerol is a sweet-tasting liquid used to keep products moist and soft.
- E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
- E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose Carboxymethyl cellulose is a thickener made by chemically modifying cellulose from wood or cotton.
- E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
- Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.
- Firming agent Firming agents keep fruit and vegetable tissue crisp or firm through processing and storage.
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- 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.
- 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.
5 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.
- Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
- Sandwiches Products in the category "Sandwiches" are at least group 3.
Among 20 chicken wraps
From least to most processed, this one ranks 17th. 90% of the chicken wraps here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 29320646, 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 C (from A, best, to E).
- General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.