Is Warburtons Potato Cakes ultra-processed?

6 Cakes 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
E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

12 ingredients
1 additive
Nutri-Score E

Less processed cakes

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

cakes instructions ry place ideally not rated, storage life will be reduced 5 de a see film 260g 90g customer car freephone 063684 your statutory vi wad ad stre on bl1 8jb intake wheat flour (with calcium, iron, niacin (b3), thiamin (b1)), water, dehydrated 3400kj salt, emulsifier (ultra-processing marker) (e471 (ultra-processing marker))

Additives: E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

As written on the pack

cakes instructions ry place ideally not rated... storage life will be reduced 5 de a see film 260g 90g customer car freephone 063684 your statutory vi wad ad stre on bl1 8jb intake wheat flour [with calcium, iron, niacin (b3) and thiamin (b1)], water, dehydrated 3400kj salt, emulsifier: e471

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.
Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.

1 ingredient that would only make it processed

Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.

Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 377 cakes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 54th. 94% of the cakes 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 377 cakes, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5010044002309, last edited 3 May 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.