Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Thomas' mini bagels ultra-processed?

Bagel breads Sold in the United States

Pack of Thomas' mini bagels

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:

  • 23 ingredients
  • 7 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed bagel breads

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

enriched wheat flour (flour, malted barley flour, reduced iron, niacin, thiamin mononitrate (vitamin b1), riboflavin, folic acid), water, sugar, yeast, salt, wheat gluten, calcium propionate, sorbic acid (to preserve freshness), cornmeal, monoglycerides, cellulose gum, citric acid, xanthan gum, soy lecithin

Additives: E200 Sorbic acid , E282 Calcium propionate , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E330 Citric acid , E415 Xanthan gum , E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose

As written on the pack

enriched wheat flour [flour, malted barley flour, reduced iron, niacin, thiamin mononitrate (vitamin b1), riboflavin (vitamin b2), folic acid], water, sugar, yeast, salt, wheat gluten, calcium propionate and sorbic acid (to preserve freshness), cornmeal, monoglycerides, cellulose gum, citric acid, xanthan gum, soy lecithin,

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.
  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose Carboxymethyl cellulose is a thickener made by chemically modifying cellulose from wood or cotton.

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.
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 91 bagel breads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 67th. 79% of the bagel breads 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 91 bagel breads, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0048121216573, last edited 16 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.