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Is Tesco finest* Chocolate Cake ultra-processed?

Cakes Sold in the United Kingdom and the United States

Pack of Tesco finest* Chocolate 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:

  • 49 ingredients
  • 9 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, wheat flour (wheat flour, calcium carbonate, iron, niacin, thiamin), rapeseed oil, egg, butter, glucose syrup, fat reduced cocoa powder, glycerol, belgian marbled chocolate curls (sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, dried whole milk, whey powder, milk sugar, butteroil, soya lecithins, flavouring), belgian milk chocolate (sugar, dried whole milk, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, whey powder, soya lecithins, flavouring), egg white, milk, whipping cream, cornflour, wheat starch, invert sugar syrup, disodium diphosphate, sodium carbonate, potassium sorbate, mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, polyglycerol esters of fatty acids, salt, flavouring, including cereals containing gluten, also, f s pa *rei rec c carto recycle tesco sta welwyn ga tesco irela gresham he marine road co, dublin, www.tesco.c

Additives: E202 Potassium sorbate , E322 Lecithins , E422 Glycerol , E450 Diphosphates , E450i Disodium diphosphate , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E475 Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500i Sodium carbonate

As written on the pack

sugar, wheat flour [wheat flour, calcium carbonate, iron, niacin, thiamin], rapeseed oil, egg, butter (milk), glucose syrup, fat reduced cocoa powder, humectant (glycerol), belgian marbled chocolate curls [sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, dried whole milk, whey powder (milk), milk sugar, butteroil (milk), emulsifier (soya lecithins), flavouring]), belgian milk chocolate [sugar, dried whole milk, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, whey powder (milk), emulsifier (soya lecithins), flavouring], egg white, milk, whipping cream (milk), cornflour, wheat starch, invert sugar syrup, raising agents (disodium diphosphate, sodium carbonate), preservative (potassium sorbate), emulsifiers (mono - and di-glycerides of fatty acids, polyglycerol esters of fatty acids), salt, flavouring. allergy advice for allergens, including cereals containing gluten, see ingredients in bold. also, may contain peanuts and nuts. suitable for vegetarians f s pa *rei rec c carto recycle tesco sta welwyn ga tesco irela gresham he marine road co. dublin. www.tesco.c

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.

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

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.
  • Lactose Lactose is milk sugar, crystallised industrially from whey, a by-product of cheese making.
  • 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.
8 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.
  • 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.
  • 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 296th. 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 5000436435457, last edited 21 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 E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.