Is it ultra-processed?
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Is WALKERS Quavers ultra-processed?

54 Crisps Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of WALKERS Quavers

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:

  • 35 ingredients
  • 5 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed crisps

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

Potato Starch, Sunflower Oil, Cheese Flavour (Whey Powder (from Milk), Flavouring, Flavour Enhancers (Monosodium Glutamate, Disodium 5'Ribonucleotide), Milk Powder, Cheese Powder (from Milk), Potassium Chloride, Garlic, Acid (Lactic Acid), Colour (Paprika Extract)), Rice Flour, Soya Flour, Salt, Yeast, Onion (Malt Flour from Barley), Pepper, Wheatflour (contains Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Colour (Annatto norbixin), Contains (See highlighted ingredients), best before 040125 gbn1 02 258

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E270 Lactic acid , E508 Potassium chloride , E621 Monosodium glutamate , E635 Disodium 5'-ribonucleotide

As written on the pack

Potato Starch, Sunflower Oil, Cheese Flavour [Whey Powder (from Milk), Flavouring (contains Milk), Flavour Enhancers (Monosodium Glutamate, Disodium 5'Ribonucleotide), Milk Powder, Cheese Powder (from Milk), Potassium Chloride, Garlic Powder, Acid (Lactic Acid), Colour (Paprika Extract)], Rice Flour, Soya Flour, Salt, Yeast, Onion Powder (Malt Flour from Barley), Pepper, Wheatflour (contains Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Colour (Annatto norbixin) Allergy Advice Contains: See highlighted ingredients May contain: Gluten, Celery, Mustard BEST BEFORE 040125 GBN1 02 258

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.

  • E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
  • 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.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • Flavour enhancer Flavour enhancers such as monosodium glutamate (E621) strengthen savoury taste without adding a flavour of their own.
  • 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.
6 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.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 1,471 crisps

From least to most processed, this one ranks 1333rd. 64% of the crisps 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 1,471 crisps, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000328017778, 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 E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.