Is The Original Oatly Vanilla Custard ultra-processed?

240ml Custards and pastry creams 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
Emulsifier
Flavouring
Milk proteins
E160a Carotene
E415 Xanthan gum
and 2 more

18 ingredients
5 additives
Nutri-Score C

Less processed custards and pastry creams

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

oat base (water, oats 9%), sugar (processing marker), palm oil, rapeseed oil, emulsifiers (ultra-processing marker) (e472b (ultra-processing marker), e472e (ultra-processing marker)), vanilla flavour (ultra-processing marker), stabiliser (e415 (ultra-processing marker)), iodised salt (processing marker), colour (ultra-processing marker) (beta carotene (ultra-processing marker)), sustainable and certified, milk protein (ultra-processing marker), soya

Additives: E160a Carotene , E160ai Beta-carotene , E415 Xanthan gum , E472b Lactic acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

As written on the pack

oat base (water, oats 9% ), sugar, palm oil*, rapeseed oil, emulsifiers (e472b, e472e), vanilla flavour, stabiliser (e415), iodised salt, colour (beta carotene), *sustainable and certified, free from lactose, milk protein and soya,

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.

E160a Carotene Carotenes are orange-yellow pigments, either synthesised or extracted from carrots, algae or palm oil.
E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
E472b Lactic acid esters of mono- and diglycerides 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.
E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides 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.
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.

Show 1 more

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.

Milk proteins Milk proteins are proteins separated from milk, such as caseinates and whey protein concentrates, added to adjust texture or raise protein content.

2 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.

Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 36 custards and pastry creams

From least to most processed, this one ranks 35th. 94% of the custards and pastry creams 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 36 custards and pastry creams, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 7394376616594, 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.