Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco Brown Bread ultra-processed?

Wholemeal breads Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Tesco Brown Bread

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:

  • 23 ingredients
  • 5 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed wholemeal 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

Water, Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch, Maize Starch, Potato Starch, Bamboo Fibre, Rapeseed Oil, Egg White, Psyllium Husk, Humectant (Vegetable Glycerol), Yeast, Stabilisers (Hydroxypropyl Methyl Cellulose, Xanthan Gum), Sugar, Salt, Apple Extract, Buckwheat Flakes, Preservatives (Calcium Propionate, Potassium Sorbate), Cocoa Powder

Additives: E202 Potassium sorbate , E282 Calcium propionate , E415 Xanthan gum , E422 Glycerol , E464 Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose

As written on the pack

Water, Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch, Maize Starch, Potato Starch, Bamboo Fibre, Rapeseed Oil, Dried Egg White, Psyllium Husk Powder, Humectant (Vegetable Glycerol), Yeast, Stabilisers (Hydroxypropyl Methyl Cellulose, Xanthan Gum), Sugar, Salt, Apple Extract, Buckwheat Flakes, Preservatives (Calcium Propionate, Potassium Sorbate), Cocoa Powder.

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.

  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • E422 Glycerol Glycerol is a sweet-tasting liquid used to keep products moist and soft.
  • E464 Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose 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.
  • Humectant Humectants are substances which prevent foods from drying out by counteracting the effect of an atmosphere having a low degree of humidity, or promote the dissolution of a powder in an aqueous medium.

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.

  • Vegetable fiber Isolated plant fibres, such as inulin, oat fibre or bamboo fibre, are extracted industrially and added to change texture or support "source of fibre" claims.
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.

  • E202 Potassium sorbate 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.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 102 wholemeal breads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 96th. 85% of the wholemeal 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 102 wholemeal breads, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5053526592271, 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.