Is it ultra-processed?
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Is McVitie's Go Ahead Crispy Slices Forest Fruit Flavoured ultra-processed?

218 g Filled biscuits Sold in Australia and France

Pack of McVitie's Go Ahead Crispy Slices Forest Fruit 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:

  • 33 ingredients
  • 9 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed filled 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, Fruit Filling 35% (Raisins 26%, Sweetener (e965), Humectant (e422), Blackberry, Raspberry Puree, Red Currant, Strawberry Puree, Rice Flour, Wheat Bran, Gelling Agent (e440), Acidity Regulators (e330, e331, e327), Natural Flavouring), Sugar, Sunflower oil, Maltodextrin, Oat Fibre, Milk, Raising Agents (e500, e450, e503), Glucose Syrup, Natural Flavouring, Salt, skimmed milk

Additives: E327 Calcium lactate , E330 Citric acid , E331 Sodium citrates , E422 Glycerol , E440 Pectins , E450 Diphosphates , E500 Sodium carbonates , E503 Ammonium carbonates , E965 Maltitol

As written on the pack

Wheat Flour, Fruit Filling (35%) [Raisins (26%), Sweetener (E965), Humectant (E422), Blackberry Puree, Raspberry Puree, Red Currant Puree, Strawberry Puree, Rice Flour, Wheat Bran, Gelling Agent (E440), Acidity Regulators (E330, E331, E327), Natural Flavouring], Sugar, Sunflower oil, Maltodextrin, Oat Fibre, Milk Solids, Raising Agents (E500, E450, E503), Glucose Syrup, Natural Flavouring, Salt, Dried skimmed milk.

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.
  • E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
  • E965 Maltitol Maltitol is a sugar alcohol made from starch, used as a sweetener in "no added sugar" sweets and chocolate.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
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  • 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.
  • 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.

  • 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 99 filled biscuits

From least to most processed, this one ranks 92nd. 96% of the filled 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 99 filled biscuits, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000396036152, last edited 20 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 D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.