Is Marks & Spencers Miller’s Wholemeal ultra-processed?

430g Wholemeal sliced breads 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:

Gluten
E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids
E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

25 ingredients
3 additives
Nutri-Score A

Less processed wholemeal 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

Soissons Wheatflour, Water, Mother Yeast (Wheatflour, Starter Culture), Yeast (Yeast (Vitamin D Yeast)), Wheat Gluten (ultra-processing marker), Salt (processing marker) (with Wheatflour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), e471 (ultra-processing marker), e472e (ultra-processing marker), Wheatflour, Palm Oil, Fractionated Palm Oil, Soya Flour, Rapeseed Oil, Palm Fat, Ascorbic Acid, Wheat Starch (processing marker)

Additives: E300 Ascorbic acid , 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

Soissons Wholemeal Wheatflour (contains Gluten) · Water, Mother Yeast (Wheatflour (contains Gluten) Starter Culture), Yeast (Yeast: Vitamin D Yeast), Dried Wheat Gluten, Salt, Wheatflour contains Gluten (with Wheatflour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Emulsifier: E471, E472e · Dried Fermented Wheatflour (contains Gluten), Palm Oil, Fractionated Palm Oil · Soya Flour, Rapeseed Oil, Palm Fat, Flour Treatment Agent: Ascorbic Acid · Wheat Starch (contains Gluten).

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.

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.

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.

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.

Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 38 wholemeal sliced breads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 31st. 89% of the wholemeal 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 38 wholemeal sliced breads, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00090414, last edited 3 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 A (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.