Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco Breadstick selection sesame ultra-processed?

120g Breadsticks Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Tesco Breadstick selection sesame

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:

  • 55 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed breadsticks

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

Wheat Flour, Sesame Seeds 27%, Palm Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Coconut Oil, Salt, Skimmed Milk, Yeast, Sugar, Dextrose, Emulsifiers (Acetic, Tartaric Acid Esters of mono- and DiGlycerides of Fatty Acids, mono- and DiGlycerides of Fatty Acids), Malted Barley Flour, Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid), Onion, chive breadstick, INGREDIENTS Wheat Flour, Butter, Skimmed Milk, Salt, Dried Onion, Yeast, Chive, Sugar, Dextrose, Emulsifier (Acetic, Tartaric Acid Esters of mono- and DiGlycerides of Fatty Acids), Malted Barley Flour, Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid), Salted breadstick, INGREDIENTS Wheat Flour, Palm Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Coconut Oil, Skimmed Milk, Salt, Yeast, Sugar, Dextrose, Emulsifiers (Acetic, Tartaric Acid Esters of mono- and DiGlycerides of Fatty Acids, mono- and DiGlycerides of Fatty Acids), Malted Barley Flour, Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid)

Additives: E300 Ascorbic acid , E330 Citric acid , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E472d Tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

As written on the pack

Wheat Flour, Sesame Seeds (27%), Palm Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Coconut Oil, Salt, Dried Skimmed Milk, Yeast, Sugar, Dextrose, Emulsifiers (Acetic and Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono - and Di-Glycerides of Fatty Acids, Mono - and Di-Glycerides of Fatty Acids), Malted Barley Flour, Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid). Onion and chive breadstick. INGREDIENTS Wheat Flour, Butter (Milk), Dried Skimmed Milk, Salt, Dried Onion, Yeast, Chive, Sugar, Dextrose, Emulsifier (Acetic and Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono - and Di-Glycerides of Fatty Acids), Malted Barley Flour, Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid). Salted breadstick. INGREDIENTS Wheat Flour, Palm Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Coconut Oil, Dried Skimmed Milk, Salt, Yeast, Sugar, Dextrose, Emulsifiers (Acetic and Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono - and Di-Glycerides of Fatty Acids, Mono - and Di-Glycerides of Fatty Acids), Malted Barley Flour, Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid).

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.

  • E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
  • E472d Tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids A food additive authorised for industrial food production.
  • Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.

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.

  • Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
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.

  • Salty snacks Products in the category "Salty snacks" are at least group 3.
  • Butter Butter, the fat churned from cream.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 55 breadsticks

From least to most processed, this one ranks 54th. 18% of the breadsticks 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 55 breadsticks, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5059697270857, 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 D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.