Is Samworth Brothers Screen malt loaf ultra-processed?

Biscuits Sold in the United Kingdom

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Colour
Invert sugar
E150c Ammonia caramel

31 ingredients
2 additives
Nutri-Score C

Less processed biscuits

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

Fortified Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin (B3), Thiamin (B1)), Water, Raisins 13%, Partially Inverted Sugar Syrup (ultra-processing marker) (Partially Inverted Sugar Syrup, Colour (ultra-processing marker) (e150c)), Malted Barley Flour 5%, Barley Malt Extract 4%, Maize Starch (processing marker), Rice Starch (processing marker), Vegetable Fats (processing marker) (Rapeseed, Palm), Salt (processing marker), Preservative (processing marker) (Calcium Propionate), Yeast, including cereals containing gluten, Warning (Although every care has been taken to remove all fruit pips and stalks), some may remain, and, Loaf 9kJ

Additives: E150c Ammonia caramel , E282 Calcium propionate

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E150c Ammonia caramel.

As written on the pack

Fortified Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin (B3), Thiamin (B1)), Water, Raisins (13%), Partially Inverted Sugar Syrup (Partially Inverted Sugar Syrup, Colour: E150c), Malted Barley Flour (5%), Barley Malt Extract (4%), Maize Starch, Rice Starch, Vegetable Fats (Rapeseed, Palm), Salt, Preservative: Calcium Propionate, Yeast. Allergy Advice: For allergens, including cereals containing gluten, see ingredients in bold. Warning: Although every care has been taken to remove all fruit pips and stalks, some may remain. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans. 30g Loaf 9kJ/

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.

E150c Ammonia caramel Ammonia caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars with ammonia compounds.
Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.

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.

Invert sugar Invert sugar is ordinary sugar split into glucose and fructose with acid or enzymes.

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.

Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
Vegetable fat Vegetable fats are oils that are solid at room temperature, such as palm or coconut fat.
Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 1,514 biscuits

From least to most processed, this one ranks 654th. 83% of the biscuits 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 1,514 biscuits, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5088722225968, 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.
NOVA measures processing, not nutrition. For nutrition, Open Food Facts gives this product a Nutri-Score of C (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.