Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Specially Selected Cream of Chicken & Beechwood Smoked Bacon Soup ultra-processed?

380g Canned soups Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Specially Selected Cream of Chicken & Beechwood Smoked Bacon Soup

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
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed canned soups

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

water, chicken 5%, smoked bacon 5% (pork, salt, preservative (sodium nitrite), antioxidant (sodium ascorbate)), maize starch, onions, skimmed milk powder, double cream, chicken fat, stabiliser (polyphosphates), flavouring, tarragon, white pepper, salt

Additives: E250 Sodium nitrite , E301 Sodium ascorbate , E452 Polyphosphates

As written on the pack

water, chicken 5%, smoked bacon 5% (pork, salt, preservative(sodium nitrite), antioxidant(sodium ascorbate)), maize starch, onions, skimmed milk powder , double cream ( milk ), chicken fat, stabiliser(polyphosphates), flavouring, tarragon, ground white pepper, salt

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.

  • E452 Polyphosphates 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.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
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.

  • E250 Sodium nitrite Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
  • Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 190 canned soups

From least to most processed, this one ranks 120th. 68% of the canned soups 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 190 canned soups, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4088600328904, 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.