Is Ploughman's Bakery Farmhouse Wholemeal ultra-processed?

750g Wholemeal sliced breads Sold in New Zealand

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Emulsifier
Gluten
E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids
E481 Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate

14 ingredients
3 additives
Nutri-Score A

Less processed wholemeal sliced breads

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

wholemeal wheat flour 54%, water, wheat flour, baker's yeast, wheat gluten (ultra-processing marker), wheat bran 1%, iodised salt (processing marker), malted wheat flakes, canola oil, acidity regulator (263), emulsifiers (ultra-processing marker) (481‚472e), soy flour

Additives: E263 Calcium acetate , E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E481 Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, E481 Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate.

As written on the pack

whole grain wholemeal wheat flour (54%), water, wheat flour, baker's yeast, wheat gluten, wheat bran (1%), iodised salt, malted wheat flakes, canola oil, acidity regulator (263), emulsifiers (481,472e), soy 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.

E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides 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.
E481 Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate 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.
Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.

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.

Gluten Wheat gluten, sold as "vital wheat gluten", is the protein washed out of wheat flour.

1 ingredient 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 38 wholemeal sliced breads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 33rd. 89% of the wholemeal sliced breads 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 38 wholemeal sliced breads, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 9415142008585, last edited 3 June 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.
NOVA measures processing, not nutrition. For nutrition, Open Food Facts gives this product a Nutri-Score of A (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.