Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Nongshim Shin Kimchi ultra-processed?

1 Instant noodle soups Sold in Australia and India

Pack of Nongshim Shin Kimchi

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:

  • 58 ingredients
  • 14 additives

Less processed instant noodle soups

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), starches (wheat), vegetable oil (contains antioxidant (307b)), s mineral salts (501, 500, 339), emulsifier, 322, sc soy sauce (SOY, wheat, salt), sweetener (420), colour (101), soup base (salt), maltodextrin, sugar, flavour enhancers (621, 627, 631), hydrolysed vegetable protein (SOY, wheat), yeast extract, starches (wheat), SOY, thickeners (412, 414), food acid (330), glucose, vegetable oils, colour (150c), soy sauce (SOY, wheat, salt), emulsifier (322, SOY), garlic, flakes (dried vegetables), kimchi 1% (vegetables, salt)

Additives: E101 Riboflavin , E150c Ammonia caramel , E307b Concentrated tocopherol , E322 Lecithins , E330 Citric acid , E339 Sodium phosphates , E412 Guar gum , E414 Acacia gum , E420 Sorbitol , E500 Sodium carbonates , E501 Potassium carbonates , E621 Monosodium glutamate , E627 Disodium guanylate , E631 Disodium inosinate

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E101 Riboflavin, E150c Ammonia caramel, E322 Lecithins, E412 Guar gum, E414 Acacia gum, E420 Sorbitol, E621 Monosodium glutamate, E627 Disodium guanylate, E631 Disodium inosinate.

As written on the pack

NOODLES: WHEAT FLOUR, STARCHES (WHEAT), VEGETABLE OIL (CONTAINS ANTIOXIDANT (307b)), S MINERAL SALTS (501, 500, 339), EMULSIFIER (322, SC SOY SAUCE (SOY, WHEAT, SALT), SWEETENER (420), COLOUR (101). SOUP BASE: SALT, MALTODEXTRIN, SUGAR, FLAVOUR ENHANCERS (621, 627, 631), HYDROLYSED VEGETABLE PROTEIN (SOY, WHEAT), YEAST EXTRACT, STARCHES (WHEAT), SOY, THICKENERS (412, 414), FOOD ACID (330), GLUCOSE, VEGETABLE OILS (SOY), COLOUR (150c), SOY SAUCE (SOY, WHEAT, SALT), EMULSIFIER (322, SOY), GARLIC. FLAKES: DRIED VEGETABLES, DRIED KIMCHI (1%, VEGETABLES, SALT). CONTAINS: WHEAT, GLUTEN, SOY. MAY CONTAIN CRUSTACEAN, MOLLUSC, EGG, FISH, PEANUT, MILK, TREE NUTS AND SESAME.

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.
  • E150c Ammonia caramel Ammonia caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars with ammonia compounds.
  • 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.
  • E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.
  • 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.
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  • E621 Monosodium glutamate Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation and used to strengthen savoury taste.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Flavour enhancer Flavour enhancers such as monosodium glutamate (E621) strengthen savoury taste without adding a flavour of their own.
  • Sweetener Sweeteners give sweetness with few or no calories, many at hundreds of times the strength of sugar.
  • Thickener Thickeners, often gums or modified starches, make liquids more viscous so that a product feels richer than its ingredients alone would make it.

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.
  • 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.

  • 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 37 instant noodle soups

From least to most processed, this one ranks 37th. 95% of the instant noodle soups 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 37 instant noodle soups, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 8801043054768, last edited 13 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.
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.