Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Marks & Spencer Gluten free sourdough loaf ultra-processed?

400 g Gluten-free breads Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Marks & Spencer Gluten free sourdough loaf

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:

  • 30 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed gluten-free breads

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

Flour (Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch, Potato Starch, Maize Flour, Rice Starch, Cornflour), Water, Yeast (Yeast, Vitamin D Yeast), Sunflower Oil, Golden Milled Linseed, Egg White, Humectant (Glycerol), Psyllium Husk, Sugar Bamboo Fibre, Stabiliser (e464), Xanthan Gum Teff Flour, Maize Starch, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, vitamins, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Vitamin B6, Riboflavin, Folic Acid

Additives: E170 Calcium carbonates , E170i Calcium carbonate , E422 Glycerol , E464 Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose

As written on the pack

Gluten Free Flour (Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch, Potato Starch, Maize Flour, Rice Starch, Cornflour), Water, Yeast (Yeast, Vitamin D Yeast) Sunflower Oil, Golden Milled Linseed, Dried Egg White, Humectant: Glycerol, Psyllium Husk Powder, Sugar Bamboo Fibre, Stabiliser: E464, Xanthan Gum Teff Flour, Fermented Maize Starch, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamins (Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Vitamin B6, Riboflavin, Folic Acid).

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.

  • E170 Calcium carbonates Calcium carbonate is chalk.
  • E422 Glycerol Glycerol is a sweet-tasting liquid used to keep products moist and soft.
  • E464 Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose 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.
  • 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.
3 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.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 55 gluten-free breads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 31st. 95% of the gluten-free breads 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 55 gluten-free breads, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00116626, 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.