Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Nongshim SHIN Spicy Noodle Soup ultra-processed?

Instant noodle soups Sold in the United States and Thailand

Pack of Nongshim SHIN Spicy Noodle Soup

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:

  • 50 ingredients
  • 8 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

enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), potato starch, palm oil, modified potato starch, dried flakes (carrot, shiitake mushroom, green onion, red chili pepper), salt, maltodextrin, contains less than 2% of anchovy extract, beef bone, beef extract, beef fat, black pepper, caramel color, citric acid, corn syrup, soy flour, dextrose, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, disodium succinate, garlic, ginger, gum arabic, hydrolyzed soy protein, hydrolyzed corn protein, mushroom, natural flavors, onion, potassium carbonate, red chili pepper, riboflavin color, sodium carbonate, sodium phosphates, soybean sprout extract, sugar, tapioca starch, tocopherols (antioxidant), yeast extract, yellow corn flour

Additives: E150c Ammonia caramel , E330 Citric acid , E363 Succinic acid , E414 Acacia gum , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500i Sodium carbonate , E627 Disodium guanylate , E631 Disodium inosinate

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

As written on the pack

enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), potato starch, palm oil, modified potato starch, dried flakes (carrot, shiitake mushroom, green onion, red chili pepper), salt, maltodextrin, contains less than 2% of anchovy extract*, beef bone extract*, beef extract*, beef fat*, black pepper*, caramel color, citric acid, corn syrup, defatted soy flour, dextrose, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, disodium succinate, garlic*, ginger*, gum arabic, hydrolyzed soy protein, hydrolyzed corn protein, mushroom*, natural flavors, onion*, potassium carbonate, red chili pepper*, riboflavin color, sodium carbonate, sodium phosphates, soybean sprout extract*, sugar, tapioca starch, 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.

  • E150c Ammonia caramel Ammonia caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars with ammonia compounds.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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 37 instant noodle soups

From least to most processed, this one ranks 23rd. 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 0031146270606, last edited 25 February 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.