Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Santa Maria Asian Steam Buns ultra-processed?

200 g Breads Sold in Sweden

Pack of Santa Maria Asian Steam Buns

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:

  • 20 ingredients
  • 6 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

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

vetemjöl, vatten, socker, jäst, vegetabiliska oljor och fett (solros, solros, kokosnöt), emulgeringsmedel (e322, e471), naturlig arom, surhetsreglerande medel (citronsyra), färgämne (karotener), salt, konserveringsmedel (e200, e282)

Additives: E160a Carotene , E200 Sorbic acid , E282 Calcium propionate , E322 Lecithins , E330 Citric acid , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

As written on the pack

VETEMJÖL, vatten, socker, jäst, vegetabiliska oljor och fett (solros, fullhärdad solros, kokosnöt), emulgeringsmedel (E322, E471), naturlig arom, surhetsreglerande medel (citronsyra), färgämne (karotener), salt, konserveringsmedel (E200, E282).

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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

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.

  • Sunflower An ingredient mostly produced industrially and rarely used in home kitchens.
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 2,390 breads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 2255th. 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 2,390 breads, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 7311312007513, 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.