Is Marks & Spencers Sliced Honey Roast Ham ultra-processed?

125 g Hams Sold in the United Kingdom

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

E451 Triphosphates

6 ingredients
3 additives
Nutri-Score B

Less processed hams

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

British Pork 91%, Honey (processing marker) 3%, Sugar Mineral Salt Stabiliser (e451 Antioxidant), e301 Caramelised Sugar Syrup Preservative (Sodium Nitrite (processing marker))

Additives: E250 Sodium nitrite , E301 Sodium ascorbate , E451 Triphosphates

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E451 Triphosphates.

As written on the pack

British Pork (91%). Honey (3%) · Sugar Mineral Salt Stabiliser: E451 Antioxidant: E301 Caramelised Sugar Syrup Preservative: Sodium Nitrite.

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.

E451 Triphosphates 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.

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.

E250 Sodium nitrite Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
Prepared meats Products in the category "Prepared meats" are at least group 3.
Honey Honey, used as a sweetener.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 223 hams

From least to most processed, this one ranks 99th. 65% of the hams 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 223 hams, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00866217, last edited 2 August 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 B (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.