Is it ultra-processed?
Menu

Is Mc Vities Biscuit selection ultra-processed?

550g Chocolate biscuits Sold in the United Kingdom and Ireland

Pack of Mc Vities Biscuit selection

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:

  • 59 ingredients
  • 8 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed chocolate biscuits

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

biscuit assortment ingredients an indulgent biscuit selection with milk, dark, white chocolate, ingredients (flour, wheat flour), calcium, iron, niacin, thiamin, milk chocolate 23% (sugar, cocoa butter, skimmed milk, cocoa mass, whey, butter oil, vegetable fats (palm, shea), emulsifier (soya lecithin), natural flavouring), dark chocolate 13% (sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, butter oil, emulsifier (soya lecithin), natural flavouring), sugar, vegetable oil (palm vegetable oil), wheat flour, white chocolate 2% (sugar, dried whole milk, cocoa butter, skimmed milk, emulsifier (soya lecithin), natural flavouring), rolled oats, whey, raising agents (sodium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate), salt, fat reduced cocoa powder, invert sugar syrup, barley malt extract, natural flavourings, acid (citric acid), natural orange flavouring, colour (carotenes), including cereals containing gluten

Additives: E160a Carotene , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E330 Citric acid , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate , E503 Ammonium carbonates , E503ii Ammonium hydrogen carbonate

As written on the pack

biscuit assortment ingredients an indulgent biscuit selection with milk, dark and white chocolate. ingredients: flour (wheat flour, calcium, iron, niacin, thiamin), milk chocolate (23%) [sugar, cocoa butter, dried skimmed milk, cocoa mass, dried whey (milk), butter oil (milk), vegetable fats (palm, shea), emulsifier (soya lecithin), natural flavouring], dark chocolate (13%) [sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, butter oil (milk), emulsifier (soya lecithin), natural flavouring], sugar, vegetable oil (palm), wholemeal wheat flour, white chocolate chips (2%) [sugar, dried whole milk, cocoa butter, dried skimmed milk, emulsifier (soya lecithin), natural flavouring], rolled oats, dried whey (milk), raising agents (sodium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate), salt, fat reduced cocoa powder, invert sugar syrup, barley malt extract, natural flavourings, acid (citric acid), natural orange flavouring, colour (carotenes). for allergens, including cereals containing gluten, see ingredients in bold.

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.

  • E160a Carotene Carotenes are orange-yellow pigments, either synthesised or extracted from carrots, algae or palm oil.
  • 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.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • 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.

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.

  • Invert sugar Invert sugar is ordinary sugar split into glucose and fructose with acid or enzymes.
  • Whey Whey is the liquid left over from cheese making, usually dried into a powder and used as a cheap source of milk solids, protein and lactose.
6 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.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • 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.
  • Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.
  • 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 301 chocolate biscuits

From least to most processed, this one ranks 235th. 95% of the chocolate biscuits 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 301 chocolate biscuits, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000168033235, last edited 27 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 E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.