Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Marks & Spencer Date paste bars ultra-processed?

4 x 35 g Bars Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Marks & Spencer Date paste bars

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:

  • 7 ingredients
  • No additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed bars

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

Paste Almonds 20%, Almond Butter 10%, Sultanas Freeze-Dried Cherries 4%, Chicory Fibre, Cherry, Vitamin C Iron Zinc vitamins, B12 Vitamin D

As written on the pack

Paste Almonds (20%) Almond Butter (10%) Sultanas Freeze-Dried Cherries (4%) Chicory Fibre. Freeze-Dried Cherry Powder. • Vitamin C Iron Zinc Vitamin B12 Vitamin D. •

What makes it ultra-processed

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.
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.

  • Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 1,328 bars

From least to most processed, this one ranks 186th. 89% of the bars 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 1,328 bars, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 29428526, last edited 10 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 D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.