Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Marks & Spencers Peanut Butter Flavour Milk Chocolate Protein Bar ultra-processed?

Protein bars Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Marks & Spencers Peanut Butter Flavour Milk Chocolate Protein Bar

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:

  • 29 ingredients
  • 5 additives

Less processed protein bars

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

Milk Chocolate with Sweetener 22% (Maltitol, Cocoa Butter, Dried Whole Milk, Cocoa Mass, Emulsifier, Lecithin, Natural Vanilla Flavouring), Calcium Caseinate, Glycerol, Beef Collagen, Concentrated Whey Protein, Polydextrose, Water, Peanut Butter 5%, Whey Protein Isolate, Peanuts 4%, Sunflower Oil, White Chocolate with Sweetener, Sweetener, Maltitol, Cocoa Butter, Dried Whole Milk, Lecithin, Natural Vanilla Flavouring, Natural Peanut Flavouring, Carrot, Carrot, Salt

Additives: E1200 Polydextrose , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E422 Glycerol , E965 Maltitol

As written on the pack

Milk Chocolate with Sweetener (22%) (Sweetener: Maltitol · Cocoa Butter · Dried Whole Milk · Cocoa Mass · Emulsifier: Lecithin · Natural Vanilla Flavouring) · Calcium Caseinate (Milk) · Humectant: Glycerol · Hydrolysed Beef Collagen · Concentrated Whey Protein (Milk) · Polydextrose · Water · Peanut Butter (5%) · Whey Protein Isolate (Milk) · Roasted Chopped Peanuts (4%) · Sunflower Oil · White Chocolate with Sweetener (Sweetener: Maltitol · Cocoa Butter · Dried Whole Milk · Emulsifier: Lecithin · Natural Vanilla Flavouring) · Natural Peanut Flavouring · Concentrated Caramelised Carrot · Concentrated Carrot · Salt.

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.

  • E322 Lecithins Lecithins are fatty substances extracted mostly from soybeans, sunflower seeds or eggs, used as emulsifiers to keep fat and water mixed, for example in chocolate.
  • E422 Glycerol Glycerol is a sweet-tasting liquid used to keep products moist and soft.
  • E965 Maltitol Maltitol is a sugar alcohol made from starch, used as a sweetener in "no added sugar" sweets and chocolate.
  • Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • Sweetener Sweeteners give sweetness with few or no calories, many at hundreds of times the strength of sugar.

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.

  • Milk proteins Milk proteins are proteins separated from milk, such as caseinates and whey protein concentrates, added to adjust texture or raise protein content.
  • Concentrated whey protein An ingredient mostly produced industrially and rarely used in home kitchens.
  • Beef collagen An ingredient mostly produced industrially and rarely used in home kitchens.
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.
  • Vegetable fat Vegetable fats are oils that are solid at room temperature, such as palm or coconut fat.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 426 protein bars

From least to most processed, this one ranks 344th. 93% of the protein bars 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 426 protein bars, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 29393459, 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.
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.