Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Sainsbury's crusty white rolls ultra-processed?

6 rolls Breads Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Sainsbury's crusty white rolls

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:

  • 45 ingredients
  • 11 additives

Less processed 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

Sugar, Butter (with Wheatflour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Ground Hazelnuts 5%, Dark Chocolate 3.5% (Madagascan Cocoa Mass, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Vanilla Extract, with Wheatflour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Invert Sugar Syrup, Glucose Syrup, Humectant (Glycerol, Dried Glucose Syrup, Sunflower Oil, Hazelnuts, Cocoa Mass, Dextrose, Skimmed Milk, Emulsifier), e471, Soya Lecithin, e481, e475, Cocoa Butter, Salt, Raising Agent (e450), e501ii, Sodium Bicarbonate, Cornflour, Dried Whole Milk, Rowan Extract, Coffee, Whey, Natural Flavourings

Additives: E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E422 Glycerol , E450 Diphosphates , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E475 Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids , E481 Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate , E501 Potassium carbonates , E501ii Potassium hydrogen carbonate

As written on the pack

Sugar · Butter (Milk) · Pasteurised Egg · Wheatflour contains Gluten (with Wheatflour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin) · Ground Hazelnuts (5%) · Dark Chocolate (3.5%) (Madagascan Cocoa Mass · Sugar · Cocoa Butter · Vanilla Extract) · Light Brown Sugar · Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder · Wild Farmed Wheatflour contains Gluten (with Wheatflour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin) · Invert Sugar Syrup · Glucose Syrup · Humectant: Glycerol · Dried Glucose Syrup · Sunflower Oil · Roasted Hazelnuts · Cocoa Mass · Dextrose · Dried Skimmed Milk · Emulsifier: E471, Soya Lecithin, E481, E475 · Cocoa Butter · Salt · Raising Agent: E450, E501 (ii), Sodium Bicarbonate · Cornflour · Dried Whole Milk · Rowan Extract · Dried Coffee · Dried Whey (Milk) · Natural Flavourings.

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.

  • 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.
  • E422 Glycerol Glycerol is a sweet-tasting liquid used to keep products moist and soft.
  • E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
  • E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
  • 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.
  • 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.
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  • Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • Humectant Humectants are substances which prevent foods from drying out by counteracting the effect of an atmosphere having a low degree of humidity, or promote the dissolution of a powder in an aqueous medium.

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.
  • Glucose syrup Glucose syrup is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Invert sugar Invert sugar is ordinary sugar split into glucose and fructose with acid or enzymes.
  • Whey Whey is the liquid left over from cheese making, usually dried into a powder and used as a cheap source of milk solids, protein and lactose.
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.

  • Butter Butter, the fat churned from cream.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 2,388 breads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 2385th. 71% of the 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 2,388 breads, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 01053166, last edited 27 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.