Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Mr Kipling 4 Birthday Cake Tarts ultra-processed?

172g Cakes Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Mr Kipling 4 Birthday Cake Tarts

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:

  • 63 ingredients
  • 16 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed cakes

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 (with added Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Sugar, Vegetable Oils (Palm Vegetable Oils, Rapeseed Vegetable Oils), Glucose Syrup, Plum, Raspberry Jam (Glucose-Fructose Syrup, Plum, Sugar, Raspberry Purée, Gelling Agent (Pectin), Acid (Citric Acid), Acidity Regulator (Sodium Citrates), Colour (Anthocyanins), Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Flavouring), Icing Sugar, Mixed Coloured Sugar Strands (Sugar, Fruit and Vegetable Concentrates (Radish, Blackcurrant, Lemon, Safflower, Sweet Potato), Glucose Syrup, Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Coconut Oil, Colour (Curcumin), Glazing Agent (Carnauba Wax), Spirulina Concentrate), Humectant (Vegetable Glycerine), Skimmed Milk Powder, Whey Powder, Egg White, Dextrose, Emulsifiers (Sorbitan Monostearate, Polysorbate 60, mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Raising Agents (Disodium Diphosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Preservatives (Potassium Sorbate, Sulphur Dioxide), Flavouring, including cereals containing gluten

Additives: E100 Curcumin , E163 Anthocyanins , E202 Potassium sorbate , E220 Sulphur dioxide , E330 Citric acid , E331 Sodium citrates , E422 Glycerol , E435 Polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate , E440 Pectins , E450 Diphosphates , E450i Disodium diphosphate , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E491 Sorbitan monostearate , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate , E903 Carnauba wax

As written on the pack

Wheat Flour (with added Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Sugar, Vegetable Oils (Palm, Rapeseed), Glucose Syrup, Plum and Raspberry Jam (Glucose-Fructose Syrup, Plum Purée, Sugar, Raspberry Purée, Gelling Agent (Pectin), Acid (Citric Acid), Acidity Regulator (Sodium Citrates), Colour (Anthocyanins), Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Flavouring), Icing Sugar, Mixed Coloured Sugar Strands (Sugar, Fruit and Vegetable Concentrates (Radish, Blackcurrant, Lemon, Safflower, Sweet Potato), Glucose Syrup, Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Coconut Oil, Colour (Curcumin), Glazing Agent (Carnauba Wax), Spirulina Concentrate), Humectant (Vegetable Glycerine), Skimmed Milk Powder, Whey Powder (Milk), Dried Egg White, Dextrose, Emulsifiers (Sorbitan Monostearate, Polysorbate 60, Mono - and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Raising Agents (Disodium Diphosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Preservatives (Potassium Sorbate, Sulphur Dioxide), Flavouring. ALLERGY ADVICE - For allergens, including cereals containing gluten, see ingredients in bold. May also contain nuts.

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.
  • E422 Glycerol Glycerol is a sweet-tasting liquid used to keep products moist and soft.
  • E435 Polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
  • 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.
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  • E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
  • E491 Sorbitan monostearate Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
  • E903 Carnauba wax Carnauba wax comes from the leaves of a Brazilian palm and gives sweets and coated chocolates their shine.
  • 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.
  • Glazing agent Glazing agents, waxes and shellac for example, coat a surface to make it shiny or stop pieces sticking together.
  • 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.
  • Whey Whey is the liquid left over from cheese making, usually dried into a powder and used as a cheap source of milk solids, protein and lactose.
  • Fructose Fructose is the sugar found naturally in fruit and honey, but as an ingredient it is refined industrially, mostly from corn starch.
6 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.

  • E202 Potassium sorbate Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • 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.
  • Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 377 cakes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 369th. 94% of the cakes 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 377 cakes, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000221609322, last edited 30 July 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.