Is it ultra-processed?
Menu

Is Sainsbury's Sliced wholemeal bread ultra-processed?

Sliced breads Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Sainsbury's Sliced wholemeal bread

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:

  • 26 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score A

Less processed 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

British Wheat Flour, Water, Wheat Gluten, Yeast, Rapeseed Oil, Salt, Spirit Vinegar, Soya Flour, Preservative (Calcium Propionate), Caramelised Sugar, Emulsifier (mono- and Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Palm Oil, Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorb ! SUPPORTS Allergy advice), including cereals containing gluten, se ingredients in bold, Also, not suitable for customers with an allergy t barley and oats due to manufacturing methods, Safety (Plastic bags can be dangerous, To avoid danger of suffocation please keep this bag away from babies and small children, Enjoy as part of a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle, The palm oil used in this product supports the production of sustair palm oil from well managed plantations, Together we can)

Additives: E282 Calcium propionate , E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

As written on the pack

Wholemeal British Wheat Flour, Water, Wheat Gluten, Yeast, Rapeseed Oil, Salt, Spirit Vinegar, Soya Flour, Preservative: Calcium Propionate; Caramelised Sugar, Emulsifier: Mono - and Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono - and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids; Palm Oil, Flour Treatment Agent: Ascorb ! SUPPORTS Allergy advice: For allergens, including cereals containing gluten, se ingredients in bold. Also, not suitable for customers with an allergy t barley or oats due to manufacturing methods. Safety: Plastic bags can be dangerous. To avoid danger of suffocation please keep this bag away from babies and small children. Enjoy as part of a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. The palm oil used in this product supports the production of sustair palm oil from well managed plantations. Together we can

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.

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.
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.

  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 389 sliced breads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 253rd. 87% of the 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 389 sliced breads, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00315289, last edited 3 April 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.