Is it ultra-processed?
Menu

Is Warburtons Wholemeal Loaf ultra-processed?

700g Wholemeal breads Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Warburtons Wholemeal Loaf

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:

  • 39 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score A

Less processed wholemeal 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, Pulses, Grains 15%, Seed Blend 15% (Kibbled Soya Bean, Malted Barley Flour, Navy Bean, Yellow Lentil, Sesame Seed, Brown Linseed, Red Lentil, Black Bean, Sunflower Seed, Pumpkin Seed, Millet Seed, Oat Flakes, Rye Flakes), Wheat Gluten, Yeast, Demerara Sugar, Salt, Glaze (Water, Pea Protein, Glucose Syrup, Rice Flour), Vegetable Oils (Rapeseed, Sustainable Palm), Soy Flour, Emulsifiers (e472e), e471, Preservative (Calcium Propionate), Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C))

Additives: E282 Calcium propionate , E300 Ascorbic acid , 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, Pulses, Grains and Seed Blend (15%) (Kibbled Soya Bean, Malted Barley Flour, Navy Bean, Yellow Lentil, Sesame Seed, Brown Linseed, Red Lentil, Black Bean, Sunflower Seed, Pumpkin Seed, Millet Seed, Oat Flakes, Toasted Rye Flakes), Wheat Gluten, Yeast, Demerara Sugar, Salt, Glaze (Water, Pea Protein, Glucose Syrup, Rice Flour), Vegetable Oils (Rapeseed and Sustainable Palm), Soy Flour, Emulsifiers: E472e, E471; Preservative: Calcium Propionate: Flour Treatment Agent: Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C).

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.
  • Glucose syrup Glucose syrup is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Gluten Wheat gluten, sold as "vital wheat gluten", is the protein washed out of wheat flour.
4 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.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 102 wholemeal breads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 99th. 85% of the wholemeal 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 102 wholemeal breads, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5010044009650, 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 A (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.