Is Walkers Monster Munch pickled onion ultra-processed?

Puffed salty snacks made from maize 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:

Flavouring
Whey
E621 Monosodium glutamate
E635 Disodium 5'-ribonucleotide

17 ingredients
4 additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed puffed salty snacks made from maize

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

Maize, Rapeseed Oil, Pickled Onion Seasoning (Flavourings (ultra-processing marker), Whey Permeate (ultra-processing marker) (from Milk), Onion, Sugar Flavour Enhancers (Monosodium glutamate (ultra-processing marker), Disodium 5'-ribonucleotide (ultra-processing marker)), Salt (processing marker), Potassium Chloride, Garlic, Hydrolysed Soya Protein, Acid (Citric acid), Spices)

Additives: E330 Citric acid , E508 Potassium chloride , E621 Monosodium glutamate , E635 Disodium 5'-ribonucleotide

As written on the pack

Maize, Rapeseed Oil, Pickled Onion Seasoning [Flavourings, Whey Permeate (from Milk), Onion Powder, Sugar Flavour Enhancers (Monosodium glutamate, Disodium 5'-ribonucleotide), Salt, Potassium Chloride, Garlic Powder, Hydrolysed Soya Protein, Acid (Citric acid), Spices] Allergy Advice

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.

E621 Monosodium glutamate Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation and used to strengthen savoury taste.
E635 Disodium 5'-ribonucleotide A food additive authorised for industrial food production.
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.

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.

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.

Salty snacks Products in the category "Salty snacks" are at least group 3.
Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 21 puffed salty snacks made from maize

From least to most processed, this one ranks 11th. 86% of the puffed salty snacks made from maize 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 21 puffed salty snacks made from maize, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000328017716, 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.