Is Marks & Spencer Luxury Hot Cross Buns ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- Gluten
- Invert sugar
- E1400 Dextrin
- E470a Sodium/potassium and calcium salts of fatty acids
- E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids
- E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids
- 24 ingredients
- 4 additives
- Nutri-Score D
Less processed viennoiseries
Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
Moistened Dried Vine Fruits 33% (Sultanas, Vostizza Currants, Water), Water, Sugar (processing marker), Egg 2.5%, Mixed Peel (Orange Peel, Lemon Peel), Unsalted Butter (processing marker), Rapeseed Oil, Wheat Gluten (ultra-processing marker), Invert Sugar Syrup (ultra-processing marker), Wheat, Yeast Salt Emulsifier (e471 (ultra-processing marker)), e472e (ultra-processing marker), e470a (ultra-processing marker), Dextrin (ultra-processing marker), Ground Sweet Cinnamon (Cassia), Palm Fat Flavouring, Ground Coriander Seeds Wheat Starch
Additives: E1400 Dextrin , E470a Sodium/potassium and calcium salts of fatty acids , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids
As written on the pack
Wheatflour contains Gluten (with Wheatflour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Moistened Dried Vine Fruits (33%) (Sultanas, Vostizza Currants, Water), Water, Sugar, Pasteurised Egg (2.5%), Mixed Peel (Orange Peel - Lemon Peel) (2%). Unsalted Butter (Milk) (2%), Rapeseed Oil, Dried Wheat Gluten. Invert Sugar Syrup. Malted Wheat (contains Gluten) Yeast Salt Emulsifier: E471, E472e, E470a. Dextrin, Ground Sweet Cinnamon (Cassia) Palm Fat Flavouring. Ground Coriander Seeds 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.
- E1400 Dextrin Dextrin is starch partly broken down by heat or acid, used as a thickener, binder and coating.
- E470a Sodium/potassium and calcium salts 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.
- E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
- E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides 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.
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.
- Invert sugar Invert sugar is ordinary sugar split into glucose and fructose with acid or enzymes.
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.
Among 145 viennoiseries
From least to most processed, this one ranks 87th. 90% of the viennoiseries here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00345033, last edited 30 May 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.