Is Marks & Spencers Custard ultra-processed?

Custard puddings Sold in the United Kingdom and France

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Modified starch
E410 Locust bean gum

12 ingredients
1 additive
Nutri-Score C

Less processed custard puddings

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

Skimmed Milk, Sugar (processing marker), Whipping Cream, Skimmed Milk, Modified Maize Starch (ultra-processing marker), Milk Protein Vanilla Flavouring, Stabiliser, Locust Bean Gum (ultra-processing marker), Co\our Mixed Carotenes, alletgens See ingredients in bold, e for Nut allergy sufferers methods used, Suttable for

Additives: E410 Locust bean gum

As written on the pack

Skimmed Milk • Sugar • Whipping Cream (Milk) (6%) • Dried Skimmed Milk • Modified Maize Starch • Milk Protein Vanilla Flavouring • Stabiliser. Locust Bean Gum • Co\our Mixed Carotenes. alletgens See ingredients in bold. e for Nut allergy sufferers methods used. Suttable for vegetarians

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.

E410 Locust bean gum Locust bean gum (carob gum) is a thickener and stabiliser from the seeds of the carob tree.
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.

2 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.

Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 13 custard puddings

From least to most processed, this one ranks 5th. 85% of the custard puddings 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 13 custard puddings, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00162005, last edited 20 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.