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Is Oxo Reduced Salt Vegetable Stock Cubes ultra-processed?

71g Vegetable bouillon cubes Sold in the United Kingdom and France

Pack of Oxo Reduced Salt Vegetable Stock Cubes

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:

  • 22 ingredients
  • 2 additives

Less processed bouillon cubes

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

ingredients (greatest first, Dried Glucose Syrup), Potato Starch, Wheat Flour (with added Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Salt, Monosodium Glutamate, Disodium 5'-ribonucleotides, Onion Extract, Flavourings, Palm Oil, Sugar, Yeast Extract, Tomato Powder, Herbs (Parsley, Thyme), Black Pepper Extract

Additives: E621 Monosodium glutamate , E635 Disodium 5'-ribonucleotide

As written on the pack

INGREDIENTS (GREATEST FIRST): Dried Glucose Syrup, Potato Starch, Wheat Flour (with added Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Salt, Flavour Enhancers (Monosodium Glutamate, Disodium 5'-ribonucleotides), Onion Extract, Flavourings, Palm Oil, Sugar, Yeast Extract (contains Barley), Tomato Powder, Dried Herbs (Parsley, Thyme), Black Pepper Extract.

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.

  • E621 Monosodium glutamate Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation and used to strengthen savoury taste.
  • E635 Disodium 5'-ribonucleotide A food additive authorised for industrial food production.
  • 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.
  • Glucose syrup Glucose syrup is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
3 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 10 vegetable bouillon cubes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 9th. 90% of the vegetable bouillon cubes 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 10 vegetable bouillon cubes, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000354403323, last edited 20 March 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.