Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Nongshim Nong Shim Japanese Style Udon Noodle Soup (6 Ea.) ultra-processed?

Noodles Sold in the United States and France

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:

  • 77 ingredients
  • 12 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed 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

water, enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine hydrochloride, riboflavin, folic acid), modified tapioca starch, soy sauce (soy, wheat, salt), contains less than 2% of (acetic acid), anchovy, artificial flavors, bonito, dextrose, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, disodium succinate, dried fish cake (pollock, d-sorbitol, potato starch, wheat starch, polyglycerol esters of fatty acids, paprika color), dried flakes (green onion, seaweed, red chili pepper), d-sorbitol, gum arabic, high fructose corn syrup, hydrolyzed corn protein, hydrolyzed soy protein, hydrolyzed wheat protein, kelp, maltodextrin, mushroom, natural flavors, non-dairy lactic acid, polyglycerol esters of fatty acids, rice bran oil, rice flour, salt, soy lecithin, sugar, tapioca starch, tempura flakes (wheat flour, palm oil, onion, sugar, salt, tuna, cuttlefish, black pepper, glucono-deltalactone), tuna wheat gluten, yeast (bonito, tuna, anchovy, pollock), manufactured in a facility that also processes crustacean shellfish, egg, peanut, and milk, manufactured by nongshim co, ltd, yeouidaebang-ro, dongjak-gu, seoul, korea

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E260 Acetic acid , E270 Lactic acid , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E363 Succinic acid , E414 Acacia gum , E420 Sorbitol , E420i D-sorbitol , E475 Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids , E627 Disodium guanylate , E631 Disodium inosinate

As written on the pack

water, enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin. reduced iron, thiamine hydrochloride, riboflavin, folic acid), modified tapioca starch, soy sauce (soy, wheat, salt), contains less than 2% of: acetic acid, anchovy*, artificial flavors, bonito*, dextrose, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, disodium succinate, dried fish cake (pollock, d-sorbitol, potato starch, wheat starch, polyglycerol esters of fatty acids, paprika color), dried flakes (freeze dried green onion, seaweed, red chili pepper), d-sorbitol, gum arabic, high fructose corn syrup, hydrolyzed corn protein, hydrolyzed soy protein, hydrolyzed wheat protein, kelp*, maltodextrin, mushroom*, natural flavors, non-dairy lactic acid, polyglycerol esters of fatty acids, rice bran oil, rice flour, salt, soy lecithin, sugar, tapioca starch, tempura flakes (wheat flour, palm oil, onion, sugar, salt, tuna, cuttlefish, black pepper, glucono-deltalactone), tuna wheat gluten, yeast*. contains wheat, soy, and fish (bonito, tuna, anchovy, pollock). manufactured in a facility that also processes crustacean shellfish, egg, peanut, and milk. manufactured by nongshim co., ltd. 112, yeouidaebang-ro, dongjak-gu, seoul, korea

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.

  • E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
  • E322 Lecithins Lecithins are fatty substances extracted mostly from soybeans, sunflower seeds or eggs, used as emulsifiers to keep fat and water mixed, for example in chocolate.
  • 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.
  • E420 Sorbitol Sorbitol is a sugar alcohol used as a sweetener and to keep products moist.
  • E475 Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids 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.
Show 3 more
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • High fructose corn syrup High-fructose corn syrup is made from corn starch: enzymes break it down to glucose and convert part of that into fructose, giving a syrup about as sweet as table sugar.
  • 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.
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.

  • 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.
  • 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 416 noodles

From least to most processed, this one ranks 406th. 73% of the 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 416 noodles, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0031146852321, last edited 6 May 2026), available under the Open Database License. If something is wrong or the recipe has changed, you can correct it there.
  • 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.