Is The nation’s favourite bisto for chicken gravy granules ultra-processed?

190g Gravy Sold in the United Kingdom

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Colour
Maltodextrin
E322 Lecithins
E621 Monosodium glutamate
E635 Disodium 5'-ribonucleotide

14 ingredients
4 additives
Nutri-Score E

Less processed gravy

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

potato starch (processing marker), maltodextrin (ultra-processing marker), palm f s calcum, iron, niacin, thiamin, flavouring sugar ra glutamate, disodium 5'-ribonucleotides (ultra-processing marker), colour (ultra-processing marker) (soya lecithin (ultra-processing marker)), black pepper extract, sage extact allergy advice, includingo bisto trade marks, designs and logos appea nut

Additives: E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E621 Monosodium glutamate , E635 Disodium 5'-ribonucleotide

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E621 Monosodium glutamate.

As written on the pack

potato starch, maltodextrin, palm f s calcum, iron, niacin, thiamin), flavouring sugar ra glutamate, disodium 5'-ribonucleotides), colour (soya lecithin), black pepper extract, sage extact allergy advice: for allergens, includingo bisto trade marks, designs and logos appea nut

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.
E621 Monosodium glutamate Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation and used to strengthen savoury taste.
E635 Disodium 5'-ribonucleotide A food additive authorised for industrial food production.
Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.

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.

Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.

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.

Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 34 gravy

From least to most processed, this one ranks 26th. 71% of the gravy 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 34 gravy, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000354919541, last edited 20 June 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.