Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Thomas' Original English Muffins ultra-processed?

57 g Sold in the United States

Pack of Thomas' Original English Muffins

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:

  • 25 ingredients
  • 2 additives

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, whole white wheat flour, farina, yeast, sugar, salt, preservatives (calcium propionate, sorbic acid), wheat gluten, soybean oil, grain vinegar, monoglycerides, whey, soy flour, nonfat milk

Additives: E200 Sorbic acid , E282 Calcium propionate

As written on the pack

UNBLEACHED ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR [FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, REDUCED IRON, NIACIN, THIAMIN MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), FOLIC ACID], WATER, WHOLE WHITE WHEAT FLOUR, FARINA, YEAST, SUGAR, SALT, PRESERVATIVES (CALCIUM PROPIONATE, SORBIC ACID), WHEAT GLUTEN, SOYBEAN OIL, GRAIN VINEGAR, MONOGLYCERIDES, WHEY (MILK), SOY FLOUR, NONFAT MILK.

What makes it ultra-processed

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.
  • 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.
4 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.

  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0048121184117, last edited 26 April 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.
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.