Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Merchant Gourmet Zingy Korean-style grains ultra-processed?

250 g Cereal grains Sold in the United Kingdom and France

Pack of Merchant Gourmet Zingy Korean-style grains

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:

  • 45 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed cereal grains

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

Cooked Wheatberries 66% (Water, Wheatberries), Cooked Black Barley 12% (Water, Black Barley), Edamame Beans, Red Pepper 7%, Gochujang Style Paste 5%, Glucose Syrup, Water, Black Beans (Black Soy Beans, Salt), Fructose, Red Pepper, Soy Sauce (Soy Sauce (Soy Beans, Salt, Spirit Vinegar), Maltodextrin, Salt), Sugar, Rapeseed Oil, Onion, Onion, Tomato, White Wine Vinegar, Cayenne, Salt, Acidity Regulator (Acetic Acid), Colour (Paprika Extract), Rice Flour, Olive Oil, Soy Sauce (Water, Salt, Colour (Plain Caramel), Sugar, Soy Beans, Wheat)

Additives: E150a Plain caramel , E160c Paprika extract , E260 Acetic acid

As written on the pack

Cooked Wheatberries (66%) (Water, Wheatberries), Cooked Black Barley (12%) (Water, Black Barley), Edamame Beans (Soya) (8%), Red Pepper (7%), Gochujang Style Paste (5%) (Glucose Syrup, Water, Salted Black Beans (Black Soy Beans, Salt), Fructose, Concentrated Red Pepper Juice, Soy Sauce Powder (Soy Sauce (Soy Beans, Salt, Spirit Vinegar), Maltodextrin, Salt), Sugar, Rapeseed Oil, Onion Powder, Concentrated Onion Juice, Tomato Powder, White Wine Vinegar, Ground Cayenne, Salt, Acidity Regulator: Acetic Acid, Colour: Paprika Extract, Rice Flour), Olive Oil, Soy Sauce (Water, Salt, Colour: Plain Caramel, Sugar, Soy Beans, Wheat).

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.

  • E150a Plain caramel Plain caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars.
  • E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.

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.
  • 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.

  • 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.
  • Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 564 cereal grains

From least to most processed, this one ranks 559th. 25% of the cereal grains 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 564 cereal grains, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5018095008141, 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.