Is Sara Lee 9 Grain Half Loaf ultra-processed?

28 g Multigrain sliced breads Sold in the United States

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Gluten
E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

25 ingredients
3 additives
Nutri-Score C

Less processed multigrain sliced breads

The Big 16 Silver Hills 28 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Organic Loaf Slices - Hemp Seeds Seedful 15 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 1
Exceptional Superseeded Sliced Loaf Asda 32 ingredients · 1 additive NOVA group 3
seven seeds and grains sourdough Bertinet Bakery 27 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3

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

enriched wheat flour, malted barley flour, reduced iron, niacin, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, wheat gluten (ultra-processing marker), bulgur wheat, RYE, oats, corn, millet, triticale, barley, buckwheat, sunflower seeds, wheat bran, salt (processing marker), molasses (processing marker), calcium propionate, sorbic acid, monoglycerides, datem (ultra-processing marker), flaxseed, rice

Additives: E200 Sorbic acid , E282 Calcium propionate , E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

As written on the pack

ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, REDUCED IRON, NIACIN, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, WHEAT GLUTEN, BULGUR WHEAT, RYE, OATS, CORN, MILLET, TRITICALE, BARLEY, BUCKWHEAT, SUNFLOWER SEEDS, WHEAT BRAN, SALT, MOLASSES, CALCIUM PROPIONATE, SORBIC ACID, MONOGLYCERIDES, DATEM, FLAXSEED, RICE.

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.

E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides 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.

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.

2 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.

Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 59 multigrain sliced breads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 44th. 80% of the multigrain 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 59 multigrain sliced breads, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0072945613065, last edited 19 September 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.