Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Marks & Spencer Chocolate Fudge Cake ultra-processed?

Chocolate cakes Sold in the United Kingdom and France

Pack of Marks & Spencer Chocolate Fudge Cake

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:

  • 24 ingredients
  • 6 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed chocolate cakes

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

Pasteurised Egg Glucose Syrup, Milk, O Chocolate 7% (Sugar Cocoa Mass Dried Whole 5 Milk Cocoa Butter Dried Skimmed Milk, Milk Fat Lactose, Soya Lecithin), Butter, Rapeseed Oil Invert Sugar Syrup, Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder, Cocoa Mass, Glycerol Belgian Milk Chocolate 3%, Sugar Cocoa Mass Cocoa Butter Dried Whole Milk Dried Skimmed Milk Emulsifier, Soya, Lecithin Natural Vanilla Flavouring) Buttermilk, Dextrose Dried Glucose Syrup Single Cream, Dried Skimmed Milk Raising Agent (Sodium Bicarbonate), e450 Cornflour, Salt 1 Emulsifier (e481), e471, e475 Rowan Extract, Natural Vanilla Flavouring, Not

Additives: E450 Diphosphates , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E475 Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids , E481 Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E450 Diphosphates, E475 Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids.

As written on the pack

Sugar Wheatflour nut contains Gluten (with Wheatflour, allergy Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin) - Pasteurised Egg Glucose Syrup - Milk . O Chocolate (7%) (Sugar Cocoa Mass Dried Whole 5 Milk Cocoa Butter Dried Skimmed Milk - Milk Fat Lactose (Milk) Emulsifier: Soya Lecithin) Butter (Milk) Rapeseed Oil Invert Sugar Syrup - Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder - Cocoa Mass - 9 . . Humectant: Glycerol Belgian Milk Chocolate (3%) (Sugar Cocoa Mass Cocoa Butter Dried Whole Milk Dried Skimmed Milk Emulsifier: Soya . • • 9 Lecithin Natural Vanilla Flavouring) Buttermilk - Dextrose Dried Glucose Syrup Single Cream (Milk) Dried Skimmed Milk Raising Agent: Sodium Bicarbonate, E450 Cornflour - Salt 1 Emulsifier: E481, E471, E475 Rowan Extract - Natural Vanilla Flavouring. • 9 For allergens see ingredients in bold. Not

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.
  • E475 Polyglycerol esters 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.
  • E481 Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate 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.
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.

  • Butter Butter, the fat churned from cream.
  • Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 67 chocolate cakes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 26th. 97% of the chocolate cakes 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 67 chocolate cakes, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00286503, last edited 6 September 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.