Is it ultra-processed?
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Is McVitie's Raspberry Jaffa Cakes ultra-processed?

Biscuit filled with fruit paste Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of McVitie's Raspberry Jaffa Cakes

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:

  • 70 ingredients
  • 15 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

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

Glucose-Fructose Syrup, Dark Chocolate 19%, Sugar, Cocoa Mass, Vegetable Fats (Palm, Shea), Butter Oil, Cocoa Butter, Emulsifiers (Soya Lecithin, e476), Natural Flavouring, Sugar, Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Whole Egg, Dextrose, Concentrated Orange Juice, Glucose Syrup, Vegetable Oils (Sunflower Vegetable Oils, Palm Vegetable Oils), Humectant (Glycerine), Acid (Citric Acid), Gelling Agent (Pectin), Raising Agents (Ammonium Bicarbonate, Disodium Diphosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Whole Egg, Acidity Regulator (Sodium Citrates), Natural Raspberry Flavouring with other Natural Flavourings, Colour (Curcumin, Anthocyanins), Emulsifier (Soya Lecithin), including cereals containing gluten, ® Registered Trade Mark of pladis, Limited, ality Guarantee Please contact us on our Careline if you have any feedback on our products, and write to the Consumer Services Team, enclosing your pack, complete with the Best Before panel and contents, This does not affect your statutory rights, el (Freephone, Mon), Fri 9am, 5pm) UK 0800 456 1372, 1800 409317, Mail, Freepost MCVITIE'S (Outside UK, Consumer Services), pladis Europe BV, Postbus 597, 1500EN Zaandam, The Netherlands, Email via (consumerservices@pladisglobal.com)

Additives: E100 Curcumin , E163 Anthocyanins , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E330 Citric acid , E331 Sodium citrates , E422 Glycerol , E440 Pectins , E450 Diphosphates , E450i Disodium diphosphate , E476 Polyglycerol polyricinoleate , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate , E503 Ammonium carbonates , E503ii Ammonium hydrogen carbonate

As written on the pack

Glucose-Fructose Syrup, Dark Chocolate (19%) [Sugar, Cocoa Mass, Vegetable Fats (Palm, Shea), Butter Oil (Milk), Cocoa Butter, Emulsifiers (Soya Lecithin, E476), Natural Flavouring), Sugar, Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Whole Egg, Dextrose, Concentrated Orange Juice (Sulphites), Glucose Syrup, Vegetable Oils (Sunflower, Palm), Humectant (Glycerine), Acid (Citric Acid), Gelling Agent (Pectin), Raising Agents (Ammonium Bicarbonate, Disodium Diphosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Dried Whole Egg, Acidity Regulator (Sodium Citrates), Natural Raspberry Flavouring with other Natural Flavourings, Colour (Curcumin, Anthocyanins), Emulsifier (Soya Lecithin). For allergens, including cereals containing gluten, see ingredients in bold. ® Registered Trade Mark of pladis (UK) Limited. ality Guarantee Please contact us on our Careline if you have any feedback on our products, or write to the Consumer Services Team, enclosing your pack, complete with the Best Before panel and contents. This does not affect your statutory rights. el: Freephone (Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm) UK 0800 456 1372, Republic of Ireland 1800 409317. Mail: (UK): Freepost MCVITIE'S. (Outside UK): Consumer Services (EU): pladis Europe BV, Postbus 597, 1500EN Zaandam, The Netherlands. Email via: consumerservices@pladisglobal.com

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.

  • E100 Curcumin Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
  • E163 Anthocyanins Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of 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.
  • 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.
Show 6 more
  • E476 Polyglycerol polyricinoleate Polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) is an emulsifier made from castor oil.
  • 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.
  • 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.

  • Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
  • 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.
  • Fructose Fructose is the sugar found naturally in fruit and honey, but as an ingredient it is refined industrially, mostly from corn starch.
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.

  • 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 18 biscuit filled with fruit paste

From least to most processed, this one ranks 18th. 100% of the biscuit filled with fruit paste 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 18 biscuit filled with fruit paste, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000168041605, last edited 7 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 E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.