Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Waitrose Wholegrain sultana bran ultra-processed?

Cereal flakes with fruits Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Waitrose Wholegrain sultana bran

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:

  • 26 ingredients
  • 5 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed cereal flakes with fruits

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 46%, sultanas 27%, wheat bran 14%, Sugar, oat flour, barley malt extract, glucose, salt, iron, Vitamin E, antioxidants (aScorbyl palmitate, alpha-tocopherol), niacin, emulsifier mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, pantothenic acid, vitamins, vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Thiamin, vitamin B1, folic acid, citric acid, riboflavin, Vitamin B6, including cereals containing gluten

Additives: E304 Fatty acid esters of ascorbic acid , E304i Ascorbyl palmitate , E307 Alpha-tocopherol , E330 Citric acid , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids.

As written on the pack

Wholegrain wheat (46%), sultanas (27%), wheat bran(14%), Sugar, oat flour, barley malt extract, glucose, salt, iron, Vitamin E, antioxidants aScorbyl palmitate and alpha-tocopherol, niacin, emulsifier monO - and diglycerides of fatty acids, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Thiamin (B1), folic acid, citric acid, riboflavin, Vitamin B6. ALLERGY ADVICE: For allergens, including cereals containing gluten, see ingredients in bold. May also contain nuts, peanuts and milk.

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.

  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
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 27 cereal flakes with fruits

From least to most processed, this one ranks 23rd. 63% of the cereal flakes with fruits 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 27 cereal flakes with fruits, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000169145104, 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.