Is Marks & Spencer Cod katsu fishcakes ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 58 ingredients
- 2 additives
- Nutri-Score C
Less processed fish preparations
Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
Cod (with Wheatflour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Water, Potatoes, Rapeseed Oil, Potato Flakes, Wheat Starch (processing marker), Durum Wheat Semolina, Onions, Coconut Milk (Coconut, Water), Single Cream, Salt (processing marker), Wheat Gluten (ultra-processing marker), Whipping Cream, Garlic Purée, Ginger, Sugar (processing marker), Coriander, Lemon Juice, Fish Gelatine (ultra-processing marker), Spices (Turmeric, Coriander, Cumin, Black Pepper, White Pepper), Red Chillies, Modified Tapioca Starch (ultra-processing marker), Inactive Yeast, Yeast Extract, Rice Vinegar, Yeast, Lime Juice, Soybeans, Coriander Seeds, Apple Purée, Dried Onions, Fenugreek Seeds, Dried Garlic, Vinegar, Cumin Seeds, Colour (ultra-processing marker) (Paprika Extract (ultra-processing marker)), Cardamom, Star Anise, Black Pepper Extract, Cloves, Fennel Seeds, Dill Seeds, Ginger, Sunflower Oil (processing marker), Celery Seeds
Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E428 Gelatine
As written on the pack
Cod (Fish) (38%), Wheatflour contains Gluten (with Wheatflour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Water, Potatoes, Rapeseed Oil, Potato Flakes, Wheat Starch (contains Gluten), Durum Wheat Semolina (contains Gluten), Onions, Coconut Milk (Coconut Extract, Water), Single Cream (Milk), Salt, Wheat Gluten, Whipping Cream (Milk), Garlic Purée, Ginger Purée, Sugar, Coriander, Lemon Juice, Fish Gelatine, Ground Spices (Turmeric, Coriander, Cumin, Black Pepper, White Pepper), Red Chillies, Modified Tapioca Starch, Inactive Yeast (contains Barley, Wheat, Gluten), Yeast Extract, Rice Vinegar, Yeast, Lime Juice, Soybeans, Coriander Seeds, Apple Purée, Dried Onions, Fenugreek Seeds, Dried Garlic, Vinegar, Cumin Seeds, Colour: Paprika Extract, Cardamom, Star Anise, Black Pepper Extract, Cloves, Fennel Seeds, Dill Seeds, Ginger, Sunflower Oil, Celery Seeds
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.
- E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
- E428 Gelatine Gelatine is a gelling agent made from collagen in animal skin and bones.
- Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
- Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.
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.
- Gluten Wheat gluten, sold as "vital wheat gluten", is the protein washed out of wheat flour.
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.
- Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
Among 209 fish preparations
From least to most processed, this one ranks 178th. 74% of the fish preparations here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 29078912, 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.