Is it ultra-processed?
Menu

Is Nestlé Chicken Flavour Noodles ultra-processed?

Instant noodles Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Nestlé Chicken Flavour Noodles

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:

  • 29 ingredients
  • 6 additives

Less processed instant noodles

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

Noodles, WHEAT flour 70%, sunflower oil, salt emulsifier (triphosphates), acidity regulators (potassium carbonates, sodium carbonates), thickener (guar gum), colour (riboflavins), seasoning, salt, sugar, flavourings, fried onion (onion, sunflower oil), yeast extract, herbs and spices (chilli, CELERY leaves, black pepper, turmeric), corn starch, garlic, leek, palm fat

Additives: E101 Riboflavin , E101i Riboflavin , E412 Guar gum , E451 Triphosphates , E500 Sodium carbonates , E501 Potassium carbonates

As written on the pack

Noodles [WHEAT flour (70%), sunflower oil, salt emulsifier (triphosphates), acidity regulators (potassium carbonates, sodium carbonates), thickener (guar gum), colour (riboflavins)), seasoning [salt, sugar, flavourings, fried onion (onion, sunflower oil), yeast extract, herbs and spices (chilli, CELERY leaves, black pepper, turmeric), corn starch, garlic, leek, palm fat

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.

  • E101 Riboflavin 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.
  • E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.
  • E451 Triphosphates 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.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • Thickener Thickeners, often gums or modified starches, make liquids more viscous so that a product feels richer than its ingredients alone would make it.
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.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 242 instant noodles

From least to most processed, this one ranks 120th. 93% of the instant noodles 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 242 instant noodles, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000243503011, last edited 27 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.
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.