Is it ultra-processed?
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Is McVitie's mcvities hobnobs dark ultra-processed?

262 g Oatmeal biscuits Sold in the United Kingdom, France and Spain

Pack of McVitie's mcvities hobnobs dark

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:

  • 18 ingredients
  • 7 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed oatmeal 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

Rolled Oats 30%, Dark Chocolate 25%, Sugar, Cocoa Mass, Vegetable Fats (Palm, Sheal Butter Oil, Cocoa Butter, Soya Lecithin, e476, Natural Flavouring), Wheat Flour 16%, Sugar, Palm Oil, Glucose-Fructose Syru Raising Agents (Sodium Bicarbonate, Ammonium Bicarbonate), Salt

Additives: E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E476 Polyglycerol polyricinoleate , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate , E503 Ammonium carbonates , E503ii Ammonium hydrogen carbonate

As written on the pack

Wholegrain Rolled Oats (30%), Dark Chocolate (25%) [Sugar, Cocoa Mass, Vegetable Fats (Palm, Sheal Butter Oil (Milk), Cocoa Butter, Emulsifiers (Soya Lecithin, E476), Natural Flavouring), Wholemeal Wheat Flour (16%), Sugar, Palm Oil, Glucose-Fructose Syru Raising Agents (Sodium Bicarbonate, Ammonium Bicarbonate), Salt.

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.

  • 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.
  • E476 Polyglycerol polyricinoleate Polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) is an emulsifier made from castor oil.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
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 fat Vegetable fats are oils that are solid at room temperature, such as palm or coconut fat.
  • Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 24 oatmeal biscuits

From least to most processed, this one ranks 19th. 63% of the oatmeal 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 24 oatmeal biscuits, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000168176819, last edited 12 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 E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.