Is it ultra-processed?
Menu

Is Marks & Spencers Crispy Mac ‘N’ Cheese Bites ultra-processed?

200g Pasta dishes Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Marks & Spencers Crispy Mac ‘N’ Cheese Bites

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:

  • 27 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed pasta dishes

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

Cooked Pasta 31% (Water, Durum Wheat Semolina), Mature Cheddar Cheese, Wheatflour, Semi Skimmed Milk, Full Fat Soft Cheese, Water, Regato Cheese, Rapeseed Oil, Single Cream, Cornflour, Methyl Cellulose, Salt, Butter, Mustard, Yeast, Spices (Paprika, Smoked Paprika, White Pepper), Cracked Black Pepper, with Calcium, Iron, vitamins, vitamin B3, vitamin B1

Additives: E461 Methyl cellulose

As written on the pack

Cooked Pasta (31%) (Water, Durum Wheat Semolina), Mature Cheddar Cheese (Milk) (11%), Wheatflour*, Semi Skimmed Milk, Full Fat Soft Cheese (Milk), Water, Regato Cheese (Milk), Rapeseed Oil, Single Cream (Milk), Cornflour, Stabiliser: Methyl Cellulose, Salt, Butter (Milk), Dried Mustard, Yeast, Ground Spices (Paprika, Smoked Paprika, White Pepper), Cracked Black Pepper. *Fortified with Calcium, Iron, Vitamin B3 and B1.

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.

  • E461 Methyl cellulose 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.
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.

  • Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
  • Butter Butter, the fat churned from cream.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 543 pasta dishes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 214th. 73% of the pasta dishes 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 543 pasta dishes, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00022729, last edited 5 September 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.