Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco Hot Cross Buns ultra-processed?

Bakery products Sold in the United Kingdom and France

Pack of Tesco Hot Cross Buns

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:

  • 30 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed bakery products

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 (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Moistened Mixed Fruits 25% (Sultanas, Raisins, Currants, Water), Water, Mixed Peel 2% (Orange Peel, Lemon Peel), Invert Sugar Syrup, Yeast, Wheat Gluten, Potato Dextrin, Wheat Protein, Palm Oil, Salt, mono- and DiAcetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of mono- and DiGlycerides of Fatty Acids, mono- and DiGlycerides of Fatty Acids, Palm Fat, Flavouring, Rapeseed Oil, Vegetable Fibre, Soya Flour, Ascorbic Acid

Additives: E1400 Dextrin , E300 Ascorbic acid , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

As written on the pack

Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin], Moistened Mixed Fruits (25%) [Sultanas, Raisins, Currants, Water], Water, Mixed Peel (2%) [Orange Peel, Lemon Peel], Invert Sugar Syrup, Yeast, Wheat Gluten, Potato Dextrin, Wheat Protein, Palm Oil, Salt, Emulsifiers (Mono - and Di-Acetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono - and Di-Glycerides of Fatty Acids, Mono - and Di-Glycerides of Fatty Acids), Palm Fat, Flavouring, Rapeseed Oil, Vegetable Fibre, Soya Flour, 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.

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.

  • Gluten Wheat gluten, sold as "vital wheat gluten", is the protein washed out of wheat flour.
  • Invert sugar Invert sugar is ordinary sugar split into glucose and fructose with acid or enzymes.
  • 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.
1 ingredient that would only make it processed

Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.

  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 43 bakery products

From least to most processed, this one ranks 40th. 60% of the bakery products 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 43 bakery products, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000119274960, last edited 29 July 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.