Is Marks & Spencers BLT ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- Flavouring
- Gluten
- E160c Paprika extract
- E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids
- E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids
- 40 ingredients
- 7 additives
- Nutri-Score D
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Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
Vine Ripened Tomatoes 19%, Smoked British Bacon 17% (Pork Belly (made with 185g of Raw Pork per 100g of Cooked Bacon), Curing Salt (Salt Preservative (Sodium Nitrate (processing marker)), Sodium Nitrite (processing marker)), Sugar (processing marker), Flavouring (ultra-processing marker), e301), Water, Lettuce 9%, Malted Wheatflakes, Rapeseed Oil Butter, Wheat Bran, Yeast (Yeast, Vitamin D Yeast), Pasteurised Egg Yolk, Salt (processing marker), Cornflour, Malted Barley, Flour, Egg, e471 (ultra-processing marker), e472e (ultra-processing marker), White Wine, Vinegar, Cracked Black Pepper, Malted Wheatflour, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Wheat Gluten (ultra-processing marker), Mustard, Sugar (processing marker), Ascorbic Acid, Palm Fat, Palm Oil, Wheat Starch (processing marker), Paprika Extract (ultra-processing marker)
Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E250 Sodium nitrite , E251 Sodium nitrate , E300 Ascorbic acid , E301 Sodium ascorbate , 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), Vine Ripened Tomatoes (19%), Smoked British Bacon (17%) (Pork Belly (made with 185g of Raw Pork per 100g of Cooked Bacon), Curing Salt (Salt Preservative: Sodium Nitrate, Sodium Nitrite), Sugar, Flavouring, Antioxidant: E301), Water, Lettuce (9%), Malted Wheatflakes (contain Gluten), Rapeseed Oil Butter (Milk), Wheat Bran (contains Gluten), Yeast (Yeast, Vitamin D Yeast), Pasteurised Egg Yolk, Salt, Cornflour, Malted Barley, Flour (contains Gluten), Dried Egg, Emulsifier: E471, E472e, White Wine, Vinegar, Cracked Black Pepper, Malted Wheatflour (contains Gluten), Concentrated Lemon Juice, Wheat Gluten, Mustard Extract, Sugar, Flour Treatment Agent: Ascorbic Acid, Palm Fat, Palm Oil, Wheat Starch (contains Gluten), 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- E250 Sodium nitrite Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
- E251 Sodium nitrate Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
- 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.
- Sandwiches Products in the category "Sandwiches" are at least group 3.
Among 18 club sandwiches
From least to most processed, this one ranks 11th. 100% of the club sandwiches here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00680158, last edited 11 June 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.