Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Marks And Spencer Satay Noodle Box ultra-processed?

Microwave meals Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Marks And Spencer Satay Noodle Box

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:

  • 28 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed microwave meals

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

Wheat Noodles, Wheatflour, Water, Wheat Gluten, Modified Tapioca Starch, Rice Bran Oil, Salt, Satay Sauce, Coconut Milk, Coconut, Water, Peanuts, Carrots, Spring Onions, Soy Sauce, Soybeans, Wheatflour, Sugar, Salt, Sugar, Garlic, Lime Juice, Chillies, Ginger, Onions, Turmeric, Colour, Paprika Extract

Additives: E160c Paprika extract

As written on the pack

Wheat Noodles, Wheatflour, Water, Wheat Gluten, Modified Tapioca Starch, Rice Bran Oil, Salt, Satay Sauce, Coconut Milk, Coconut Extract, Water, Peanuts, Carrots, Spring Onions, Soy Sauce, Soybeans, Wheatflour, Sugar, Salt, Sugar, Garlic, Lime Juice, Chillies, Ginger, Onions, Turmeric, Colour, Paprika Extract

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.
  • 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.
6 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.

  • Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
  • 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.
  • Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 350 microwave meals

From least to most processed, this one ranks 249th. 72% of the microwave meals 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 350 microwave meals, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 29378135, 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.