Is Nissin Cup Noodles Beef Soup ultra-processed?

2.25oz Instant noodles Sold in the United States and France

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Flavouring
Glucose
Lactose
Maltodextrin
E150c Ammonia caramel
E401 Sodium alginate
and 3 more

44 ingredients
9 additives

Less processed instant noodles

Instant Noodles Casserole Beef Flavour Thai Preserved Food Factory Co. Ltd. 18 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
organic RAMEN NOODLES Ocean's Halo 3 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Asian vegetable Koyo 13 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Rice Vermicelli Wai Wai 2 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 1

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

flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), vegetable oil (processing marker) (palm oil, rice bran oil), salt (processing marker), textured soy protein, contains less than 2% of autolyzed yeast extract, beef fat, caramel color, citric acid, corn syrup solids (ultra-processing marker), disodium guanylate (ultra-processing marker), disodium inosinate (ultra-processing marker), disodium succinate, carrot, corn, green onion, egg white, garlic powder, hydrolyzed corn protein, hydrolyzed soy protein, lactose (ultra-processing marker), maltodextrin (ultra-processing marker), natural flavor (ultra-processing marker), onion powder, potassium carbonate, potassium chloride, chicken, silicon dioxide, sodium alginate (ultra-processing marker), sodium carbonate, sodium gluconate, sodium tripolyphosphate (ultra-processing marker), spice, succinic acid, sugar (processing marker), tbhq (preservative (processing marker))

Additives: E150c Ammonia caramel , E319 Tertiary-butylhydroquinone (tbhq) , E330 Citric acid , E363 Succinic acid , E401 Sodium alginate , E452 Polyphosphates , E452vi Sodium tripolyphosphate , E627 Disodium guanylate , E631 Disodium inosinate

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E150c Ammonia caramel.

As written on the pack

enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), vegetable oil (palm oil, rice bran oil), salt, textured soy protein, contains less than 2% of autolyzed yeast extract, beef fat, caramel color, citric acid, corn syrup solids, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, disodium succinate, dried carrot flake, dried corn, dried green onion, egg white, garlic powder, hydrolyzed corn protein, hydrolyzed soy protein, lactose, maltodextrin, natural flavor, onion powder, potassium carbonate, potassium chloride, powdered chicken, silicon dioxide, sodium alginate, sodium carbonate, sodium gluconate, sodium tripolyphosphate, spice, succinic acid, sugar, tbhq (preservative),

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.

E150c Ammonia caramel Ammonia caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars with ammonia compounds.
E401 Sodium alginate A food additive used to dissolve, dilute, disperse or otherwise physically modify a food additive or nutrient without altering its function -and without exerting any technological effect itself- in order to facilitate its handling, application or use of the food additive or nutrient.
E452 Polyphosphates 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.
E627 Disodium guanylate Disodium guanylate is a flavour enhancer usually used together with MSG.
E631 Disodium inosinate Disodium inosinate is a flavour enhancer usually used together with MSG.
Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

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.
Lactose Lactose is milk sugar, crystallised industrially from whey, a by-product of cheese making.
Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.

5 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.

Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 242 instant noodles

From least to most processed, this one ranks 194th. 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 0070662030011, last edited 9 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.
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.