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Is Nongshim Bowl Noodles Spicy Kimchi Flavour ultra-processed?

86 g Instant noodles Sold in the United States, Canada and New Zealand

Pack of Nongshim Bowl Noodles Spicy Kimchi Flavour

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
  • 12 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

Enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), palm oil, potato starch, modified potato starch, salt, kimchi (napa cabbage, red chili pepper, garlic, dextrin, salt, ginger, shrimp, glucono delta-lactone), contains less than 2% of (anchovy), beef bone, beef extract, beef fat, black pepper, cellulose, citric acid, corn syrup, defatted soy flour, dextrose, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, disodium succinate, dried vegetables (carrot, green onion), wheat protein, garlic, gum arabic, hydrolyzed corn protein, hydrolyzed soy protein, leek, malic acid, maltodextrin, modified tapioca starch, napa cabbage, natural flavors, non dairy lactic acid, onion, potassium carbonate, red chili pepper, riboflavin color, rice flour, sand lance extract, shrimp, sodium carbonate, sodium phosphates, sugar, tocopherols (antioxidant), yeast extract, yellow corn flour

Additives: E1400 Dextrin , E270 Lactic acid , E296 Malic acid , E330 Citric acid , E363 Succinic acid , E414 Acacia gum , E460 Cellulose , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500i Sodium carbonate , E575 Glucono-delta-lactone , E627 Disodium guanylate , E631 Disodium inosinate

As written on the pack

Enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), palm oil, potato starch, modified potato starch, salt, dried kimchi flakes (napa cabbage, red chili pepper*, garlic, dextrin, salt, ginger, shrimp, glucono delta-lactone), contains less than 2% of: anchovy extract*, beef bone extract*, beef extract*, beef fat*, black pepper*, cellulose*, citric acid, corn syrup, defatted soy flour, dextrose, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, disodium succinate, dried vegetables (carrot, green onion), fermented wheat protein, garlic*, gum arabic, hydrolyzed corn protein, hydrolyzed soy protein, leek extract*, malic acid, maltodextrin, modified tapioca starch, napa cabbage*, natural flavors, non dairy lactic acid, onion*, potassium carbonate, red chili pepper*, riboflavin color, rice flour, sand lance extract*, shrimp*, sodium carbonate, sodium phosphates, sugar, tocopherols (antioxidant), yeast extract, yellow corn flour.

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.

  • E1400 Dextrin Dextrin is starch partly broken down by heat or acid, used as a thickener, binder and coating.
  • E414 Acacia gum Gum arabic (acacia gum) is the hardened sap of acacia trees, used to stabilise flavour emulsions in soft drinks and to coat sweets.
  • E460 Cellulose 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.
  • 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.
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  • Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.

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.
  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down 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.

  • Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
  • 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 242 instant noodles

From least to most processed, this one ranks 208th. 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 0031146250301, last edited 4 September 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.