Is Marks & Spencer Wheaten crackers ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 14 ingredients
- 4 additives
- Nutri-Score E
Less processed crackers (Appetizers)
Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
Wheatflour, Coconut Oil (processing marker), Palm Oil, Wheatgerm, Sugar (processing marker), Baking Powder (Sodium Bicarbonate, e450 (ultra-processing marker), e503), Whey (ultra-processing marker), Wheat Bran, Flavouring (ultra-processing marker), Salt (processing marker), Yeast
Additives: E450 Diphosphates , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate , E503 Ammonium carbonates
As written on the pack
Wheatflour (contains Gluten) · Coconut Oil · Palm Oil · Wheatgerm Flakes (contains Gluten) · Sugar · Baking Powder (Raising Agent: Sodium Bicarbonate, E450, E503) · Whey Solids (Milk) · Wheat Bran (contains Gluten) · Flavouring · Salt · Dried Yeast 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.
- E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
- Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
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.
- Whey Whey is the liquid left over from cheese making, usually dried into a powder and used as a cheap source of milk solids, protein and lactose.
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.
- Salty snacks Products in the category "Salty snacks" are at least group 3.
- Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
- Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
- Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
Among 715 crackers (Appetizers)
From least to most processed, this one ranks 538th. 61% of the crackers (Appetizers) here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00745062, last edited 2 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 E (from A, best, to E).
- General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.