Is Waitrose Wholemeal medium sliced bread ultra-processed?

Sliced breads 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:

Emulsifier
Gluten
E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids
E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

21 ingredients
3 additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed sliced 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

wheat flour, water, fortified wheat flour (wheat flour, calcium carbonate, iron, niacin, thiamin), yeast, wheat gluten (ultra-processing marker), salt (processing marker), emulsifiers (ultra-processing marker) (mono- and diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (ultra-processing marker), mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (ultra-processing marker)), spirit vinegar, preservative (processing marker) (calcium propionate), flour treatment agent (ascorbic acid), including cereals containing gluten, see ingredients in bold NUTRITION TYPICAL VALUES AS SOLD Energy kj Energy kcal Fat

Additives: E282 Calcium propionate , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

As written on the pack

Wholemeal wheat flour, water, fortified wheat flour (wheat flour, calcium carbonate, iron, niacin, thiamin), yeast, wheat gluten, salt, emulsifiers (mono - and diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono-and diglycerides of fatty acids, mono - and diglycerides of fatty acids), spirit vinegar, preservative (calcium propionate), flour treatment agent (ascorbic acid) ALLERGY ADVICE: For allergens, including cereals containing gluten, see ingredients in bold NUTRITION TYPICAL VALUES AS SOLD Energy kj Energy kcal Fat

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.

E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
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.
Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.

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.

Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 389 sliced breads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 323rd. 87% of the sliced 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 389 sliced breads, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000169515761, 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 D (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.