Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco Curly The Caterpillar Cake ultra-processed?

Cakes Sold in the United Kingdom and the United States

Pack of Tesco Curly The Caterpillar Cake

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:

  • 94 ingredients
  • 23 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed cakes

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

Sugar, Milk Chocolate Covering 19% (Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Mass, Skimmed Milk, Whey Powder, Milk Fat, Palm Oil, Emulsifier (Soya Lecithins), Sal Fat, Mango Kernel Fat, Shea Fat), Sweet Decorations 13% (Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Glucose Syrup, Dried Whole Milk, Palm Oil, Cocoa Mass, Humectant (Glycerol), Skimmed Milk, Rapeseed Oil, Water, Sunflower Oil, Stabilisers (Tragacanth, Xanthan Gum), Whey Powder, Emulsifiers (Lecithins, Soya Lecithins, Acacia Gum, mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Wheat Flour, Rice Starch, Invert Sugar Syrup, Flavourings, Colours (Paprika Extract, Anthocyanins, Beta-Carotene, Riboflavin, Chlorophylls), Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Glazing Agents (Acacia Gum, Carnauba Wax, White and Yellow Beeswax), Fruit and Vegetable Concentrates, Grape, Radish, Blackcurrant, Lemon, Beetroot, Safflower, Algae, Elderberry, Malted Barley), Wheat Flour, Glucose Syrup, Butter, Egg, Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder, Water, Soya Flour, Invert Sugar Syrup, Egg White, Rice Syrup, Concentrated Grape Juice, Skimmed Milk, Raising Agents (Disodium Diphosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Palm Oil, Humectant (Glycerol), Emulsifiers (mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids, Polyglycerol Esters of Fatty Acids), Salt, Maize Starch, Cornflour, Rapeseed Oil, Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Egg White, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin Allergy Advice

Additives: E101 Riboflavin , E101i Riboflavin , E140 Chlorophylls and Chlorophyllins , E140i Chlorophylls , E160a Carotene , E160ai Beta-carotene , E160c Paprika extract , E163 Anthocyanins , E202 Potassium sorbate , E322 Lecithins , E330 Citric acid , E413 Tragacanth , E414 Acacia gum , E415 Xanthan gum , E422 Glycerol , E450 Diphosphates , E450i Disodium diphosphate , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E475 Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate , E901 White and yellow beeswax , E903 Carnauba wax

As written on the pack

Sugar, Milk Chocolate Covering (19%) [Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Mass, Dried Skimmed Milk, Whey Powder (Milk), Milk Fat, Palm Oil, Emulsifier (Soya Lecithins), Sal Fat, Mango Kernel Fat, Shea Fat], Sweet Decorations (13%) [Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Glucose Syrup, Dried Whole Milk, Palm Oil, Cocoa Mass, Humectant (Glycerol), Dried Skimmed Milk, Rapeseed Oil, Water, Sunflower Oil, Stabilisers (Tragacanth, Xanthan Gum), Whey Powder (Milk), Emulsifiers (Lecithins, Soya Lecithins, Acacia Gum, Mono - and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Wheat Flour, Rice Starch, Invert Sugar Syrup, Flavourings, Colours (Paprika Extract, Anthocyanins, Beta-Carotene, Riboflavin, Chlorophylls), Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Glazing Agents (Acacia Gum, Carnauba Wax, White and Yellow Beeswax), Fruit And Vegetable Concentrates (Grape, Radish, Blackcurrant, Lemon, Beetroot, Safflower, Algae, Elderberry, Malted Barley], Wheat Flour, Glucose Syrup, Butter (Milk), Pasteurised Egg, Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder, Water, Soya Flour, Invert Sugar Syrup, Pasteurised Egg White, Rice Syrup, Concentrated Grape Juice, Dried Skimmed Milk, Raising Agents (Disodium Diphosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Palm Oil, Humectant (Glycerol), Emulsifiers (Mono - and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids, Polyglycerol Esters of Fatty Acids), Salt, Maize Starch, Cornflour, Rapeseed Oil, Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Dried Egg White. Wheat Flour contains: Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin Allergy Advice

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.

  • E101 Riboflavin Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
  • E140 Chlorophylls and Chlorophyllins Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
  • E160a Carotene Carotenes are orange-yellow pigments, either synthesised or extracted from carrots, algae or palm oil.
  • E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
  • E163 Anthocyanins Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
  • 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.
Show 14 more
  • E413 Tragacanth 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.
  • E414 Acacia gum Gum arabic (acacia gum) is the hardened sap of acacia trees, used to stabilise flavour emulsions in soft drinks and to coat sweets.
  • 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.
  • E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
  • E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
  • E475 Polyglycerol esters 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.
  • E901 White and yellow beeswax A food additive used to dissolve, dilute, disperse or otherwise physically modify a food additive or nutrient without altering its function -and without exerting any technological effect itself- in order to facilitate its handling, application or use of the food additive or nutrient.
  • E903 Carnauba wax Carnauba wax comes from the leaves of a Brazilian palm and gives sweets and coated chocolates their shine.
  • 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.
  • Glazing agent Glazing agents, waxes and shellac for example, coat a surface to make it shiny or stop pieces sticking together.
  • 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.

  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Glucose syrup Glucose syrup is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Invert sugar Invert sugar is ordinary sugar split into glucose and fructose with acid or enzymes.
  • Whey Whey is the liquid left over from cheese making, usually dried into a powder and used as a cheap source of milk solids, protein and lactose.
10 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.
  • Butter Butter, the fat churned from cream.
  • 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.
  • Vegetable fat Vegetable fats are oils that are solid at room temperature, such as palm or coconut fat.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.
  • 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 377 cakes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 377th. 94% of the cakes 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 377 cakes, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5018374525383, 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 E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.