Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Marks & Spencers Reduced Fat Mayo ultra-processed?

Light mayonnaises Sold in the United Kingdom

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:

  • 14 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed light mayonnaises

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

Water, Rapeseed Oil 29%, Sugar, Egg 4.5%, Vinegar, Modified Maize Starch, Potassium Chloride, Pasteurised Egg Yolk 1%, Salt, Lactic Acid, Xanthan Gum, e200, Flavouring, Paprika Extract

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E200 Sorbic acid , E270 Lactic acid , E415 Xanthan gum

As written on the pack

Water, Rapeseed Oil (29%), Sugar ,Pasteurised Egg (4.5%) ,Vinegar ,Modified Maize Starch ,Potassium Chloride, Pasteurised Egg Yolk (1%) ,Salt, Acid: Lactic Acid, Stabiliser: Xanthan Gum, Preservative: E200, Flavouring (contains Mustard), Colour: Paprika Extract.

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.

  • E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • 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.
3 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 23 light mayonnaises

From least to most processed, this one ranks 9th. 91% of the light mayonnaises 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 23 light mayonnaises, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 29411900, last edited 8 September 2026), available under the Open Database License. If something is wrong or the recipe has changed, you can correct it there.
  • 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.