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Is McVitie's Crispy Slices Apple Flavoured ultra-processed?

174g Biscuits Sold in the United Kingdom and Australia

Pack of McVitie's Crispy Slices Apple Flavoured

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:

  • 30 ingredients
  • 7 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed 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

Wheat Flour, Raisins 27%, Apple Filling 8% (Humectants (Maltitol, Glycerol), Wheat Bran, Concentrated Apple Juice (filling), Gelling Agent (Pectin), Acidity Regulators (331, 330, 327), Cinnamon, Natural Flavouring, Emulsifier (471)), Sunflower Oil, Sugar, Inulin, Maltodextrin, Milk, Rice Flour, Glucose Syrup, Baking Powder, Natural Flavouring, Salt, Cinnamon

Additives: E327 Calcium lactate , E330 Citric acid , E331 Sodium citrates , E422 Glycerol , E440 Pectins , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E965 Maltitol

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E327 Calcium lactate, E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids.

As written on the pack

Wheat Flour, Raisins (27%), Apple Flavoured Filling (8%) [Humectants (Maltitol, Glycerol), Wheat Bran, Concentrated Apple Juice (3.9% of filling), Gelling Agent (Pectin), Acidity Regulators (331, 330, 327), Cinnamon, Natural Flavouring, Emulsifier (471)], Sunflower Oil, Sugar, Inulin, Maltodextrin, Milk Solids, Rice Flour, Glucose Syrup, Baking Powder, Natural Flavouring, Salt, Cinnamon. Contains Wheat, Gluten and Milk. May contain Almond, Hazelnut, Soy, Sesame.

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.

  • E327 Calcium lactate Thickeners are substances which increase the viscosity of a foodstuff.
  • E422 Glycerol Glycerol is a sweet-tasting liquid used to keep products moist and soft.
  • E440 Pectins Pectins are gelling agents extracted from citrus peel or apple pomace.
  • E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
  • 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.
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  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • Gelling agent Gelling agents such as pectin, gelatine or carrageenan set liquids into gels and stabilise textures.
  • Humectant Humectants are substances which prevent foods from drying out by counteracting the effect of an atmosphere having a low degree of humidity, or promote the dissolution of a powder in an aqueous medium.

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.

  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Glucose syrup Glucose syrup is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
  • Vegetable fiber Isolated plant fibres, such as inulin, oat fibre or bamboo fibre, are extracted industrially and added to change texture or support "source of fibre" claims.
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.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 1,514 biscuits

From least to most processed, this one ranks 1467th. 83% of the 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 1,514 biscuits, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000168038391, last edited 4 June 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.