Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Sainsburys lemon drizzle cake ultra-processed?

Cakes Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Sainsburys lemon drizzle cake

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:

  • 69 ingredients
  • 10 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed cakes

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, Fortified Wheat Flour (Wheat Flout Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Pasteurised Egg emon Icing 12% (Sugar, Lemon Juice, Humectant Vegetable lycerine, Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Lemon Buttercream %), Butter (Cows Milk), Sugar, Lemon Curd 10% (Sugar, lucose Syrup, Butter (Cows Milk), Wheat Starch, Maize tarch, Egg, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Gelling Agent rectin, Acidity Regulators (Citric Acid), Sodium Citrate lavouring, Salt), Glucose Syrup, Modified Maize Starch, lumectant (Vegetable Glycerine), Preservative (Citric Acid), Lemon Curd 9% (Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Butter (Cows' Milk), Wheat Starch, Maize Starch, Egg, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Gelling Agent (Pectin), Acidity Regulators (Citric Acid), Sodium Citrate, Flavouring, Salt), Rapeseed Oil, Palm Oil, Pasteurised Lemon Juice, Humectant (Vegetable Glycerine), Raising Agents (Disodium Diphosphate), Sodium Bicarbonate, Palm Kernel Oil, Lemon Zest, Emulsifier (mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Colour (Carotenes, C C Pack Supe Sains Belfa www)

Additives: E160a Carotene , E330 Citric acid , E331 Sodium citrates , E422 Glycerol , E440 Pectins , E450 Diphosphates , E450i Disodium diphosphate , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate

As written on the pack

Sugar, Fortified Wheat Flour (Wheat Flout Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Pasteurised Egg emon Icing (12%) (Sugar, Lemon Juice, Humectant Vegetable lycerine, Acidity Regulator: Citric Acid, Lemon Buttercream %) (Butter (Cows Milk), Sugar, Lemon Curd (10%) (Sugar, lucose Syrup, Butter (Cows Milk) Wheat Starch, Maize tarch, Dried Egg, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Gelling Agent rectin; Acidity Regulators: Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate lavouring, Salt), Glucose Syrup, Modified Maize Starch, lumectant: Vegetable Glycerine, Preservative Citric Acid), Lemon Curd (9%) (Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Butter (Cows' Milk), Wheat Starch, Maize Starch, Dried Egg, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Gelling Agent: Pectin, Acidity Regulators: Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Flavouring, Salt), Rapeseed Oil, Palm Oil, Pasteurised Lemon Juice, Humectant: Vegetable Glycerine, Raising Agents: Disodium Diphosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Palm Kernel Oil, Lemon Zest, Emulsifier: Mono-and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids; Acidity Regulator: Citric Acid: Colour: Carotenes. C C Pack Supe Sains Belfa www

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.

  • E160a Carotene Carotenes are orange-yellow pigments, either synthesised or extracted from carrots, algae or palm oil.
  • E422 Glycerol Glycerol is a sweet-tasting liquid used to keep products moist and soft.
  • E440 Pectins Pectins are gelling agents extracted from citrus peel or apple pomace.
  • 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.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
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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.
  • Gelling agent Gelling agents such as pectin, gelatine or carrageenan set liquids into gels and stabilise textures.
  • 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.
  • 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.

  • 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.
6 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.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • 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.
  • Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 377 cakes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 323rd. 94% of the cakes 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 377 cakes, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00398633, last edited 2 May 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 E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.