Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Marks & Spencers Brown Seeded Loaf ultra-processed?

400g Gluten-free sliced breads Sold in the United Kingdom and France

Pack of Marks & Spencers Brown Seeded 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:

  • 39 ingredients
  • 6 additives
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed sliced 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

Tapioca Starch, Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Maize Flour, Rice Starch, Cornflour, Water, Mixed Seeds 14% (Sunflower Seeds, Brown Linseed, Millet Seeds, Golden Linseed, Poppy Seeds), Vegetable Oils (Sunflower Oil, Palm Oil, Rapeseed Oil), Psyllium Husk, Yeast (Yeast, Vitamin D Yeast), Egg White, Glycerol Stabiliser, e464, Xanthan Gum, e466, Maize Starch, Brown Sugar, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Bamboo Fibre, Plain Caramel, Linseed Fibre, vitamins, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Vitamin B6, Riboflavin, Folic Acid

Additives: E150a Plain caramel , E170 Calcium carbonates , E170i Calcium carbonate , E415 Xanthan gum , E464 Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose , E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose

As written on the pack

Gluten Free Flour Tapioca Starch, Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Maize Flour, Rice Starch, Cornflour), Water, Mixed Seeds (14%) (Sunflower Seeds, Brown Linseed, Millet Seeds, Golden Linseed, Poppy Seeds), Vegetable Oils (Sunflower Oil, Palm Oil, Rapeseed Oil), Psyllium Husk Powder, Yeast (Yeast, Vitamin D Yeast), Dried Egg White, Humectant: Glycerol Stabiliser: E464, Xanthan Gum, E466, Fermented Maize Starch, Brown Sugar, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Bamboo Fibre, Colour: Plain Caramel, Linseed Fibre, 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.

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.
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.

  • 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 10 gluten-free sliced breads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 8th. 90% of the gluten-free sliced 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 10 gluten-free sliced breads, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00731492, last edited 9 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.