What Is Ultra-Processed Food? UK List & Guide

TL;DR: Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are industrial formulations made mostly from substances extracted from foods, plus additives. In the UK, common UPFs include soft drinks, packaged bread, ready meals, crisps, and breakfast cereals. They make up roughly 57% of the average UK diet.

Ultra-processed food has become one of the most discussed topics in UK nutrition. From newspaper headlines to government reports, UPF is everywhere — but what does it actually mean, and should you be worried about the food in your cupboard?

The NOVA Classification System Explained

The term “ultra-processed food” comes from the NOVA classification system, developed by researchers at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. NOVA groups all foods into four categories based on the extent and purpose of processing they undergo.

NOVA Group	Description	UK Examples
Group 1 Unprocessed / minimally processed	Natural foods altered only by removal of inedible parts, drying, crushing, pasteurisation, or freezing	Fresh fruit, vegetables, eggs, plain milk, fresh meat, rice, dried pulses, frozen peas
Group 2 Processed culinary ingredients	Substances extracted from Group 1 foods, used in cooking	Olive oil, butter, sugar, salt, flour, vinegar
Group 3 Processed foods	Group 1 foods modified by adding Group 2 ingredients (salt, sugar, oil) — typically 2-3 ingredients	Tinned vegetables, cheese, freshly baked bread, smoked fish, salted nuts, jam
Group 4 Ultra-processed foods (UPF)	Industrial formulations with 5+ ingredients, including substances not used in home cooking	Fizzy drinks, crisps, ready meals, packaged sliced bread, breakfast cereals, ice cream, chicken nuggets

The key distinction is not simply “how much” processing occurs, but what kind of processing and what ingredients are introduced. Group 4 products typically contain industrial additives — emulsifiers, flavourings, colours, thickeners, and preservatives — that serve cosmetic or shelf-life purposes rather than nutritional ones.

Common Ultra-Processed Foods in the UK

Here is a comprehensive list of food categories that typically fall into NOVA Group 4, along with specific UK examples and the types of additives commonly found in them.

Food Category	Common UK Examples	Typical Additives
Soft drinks	Coca-Cola, Lucozade, Fanta, Ribena squash	Sweeteners, colours, phosphoric acid, flavourings
Packaged bread	Warburtons Toastie, Hovis, Kingsmill	Emulsifiers (E471, E472e), preservatives, flour treatment agents
Breakfast cereals	Coco Pops, Frosties, Special K, Cheerios	Flavourings, colours, BHT, iron compounds
Ready meals	Tesco Finest, Birds Eye, Charlie Bigham’s	Modified starch, flavourings, emulsifiers, stabilisers
Crisps & snacks	Walkers, Pringles, Doritos, Wotsits	Flavour enhancers (E621), colours, maltodextrin
Biscuits & cakes	McVitie’s Digestives, Mr Kipling, Oreos	Emulsifiers, raising agents, flavourings, palm oil
Processed meats	Richmond sausages, Peperami, ham slices	Nitrites (E250), phosphates, flavourings, smoke flavouring
Ice cream	Magnum, Cornetto, supermarket own-brand	Emulsifiers (E471), stabilisers (E407), vanilla flavouring
Confectionery	Cadbury Dairy Milk, Haribo, Mars bars	Emulsifiers (E476), colours, flavourings, glucose syrup
Instant foods	Pot Noodle, Cup-a-Soup, instant mash	MSG (E621), maltodextrin, flavourings, modified starch
Sauces & dressings	Heinz ketchup, Hellmann’s mayo, Dolmio	Modified starch, flavourings, sweeteners, colours
Plant-based alternatives	Quorn products, Beyond Meat, Oatly	Methylcellulose, pea protein isolate, flavourings

The 57% Statistic: How Much UPF Do We Eat?

Research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and published in peer-reviewed journals found that ultra-processed foods account for approximately 57% of total calorie intake in the average UK adult diet. This figure places the UK among the highest UPF consumers in Europe.

For children and adolescents, the proportion is even higher — some studies suggest up to 65% of calories come from UPFs. Lower-income households tend to consume more UPF, partly because these products are often cheaper per calorie than fresh alternatives.

A large-scale BMJ study following over 100,000 adults found associations between higher UPF consumption and increased risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. However, researchers note that these are observational associations, not proven causal links.

Important context

The 57% figure is an average. Individual diets vary enormously. Some people consume far more, some far less. The point is not to reach zero UPF, but to be aware of the balance in your own diet.

How to Identify UPF from Ingredient Lists

You do not need an app to make a rough assessment (though it helps). Here are practical ways to spot ultra-processed food from the packaging:

The five-ingredient rule of thumb

If a product has five or more ingredients, and some of those ingredients are substances you would not find in a home kitchen, it is very likely ultra-processed. This is not a perfect rule, but it catches most UPFs.

Ingredients that signal UPF

Look for these on the label — they are rarely used in home cooking:

High-fructose corn syrup or glucose-fructose syrup
Hydrogenated or interesterified oils
Protein isolates (soy protein isolate, whey protein isolate)
Maltodextrin, dextrose, or inverted sugar
Emulsifiers like soy lecithin (E322), mono- and diglycerides (E471)
Flavourings (“natural flavouring” or “flavouring”)
Colours with E-numbers (E102, E110, E129, etc.)
Thickeners like xanthan gum (E415), carrageenan (E407)
Sweeteners like aspartame (E951), acesulfame K (E950)

The kitchen test

Read the ingredients list and ask: “Could I buy all of these in a supermarket and make this at home?” If the answer involves ingredients you have never heard of or could not purchase as standalone items, the product is likely ultra-processed.

The Debate: Not All UPFs Are Equal

The UPF conversation is more nuanced than headlines sometimes suggest. Here are the key points of debate:

The fortified bread controversy

Mass-produced sliced bread is classified as UPF because it contains emulsifiers, preservatives, and flour treatment agents not used in artisan baking. However, in the UK, white and brown flour is fortified by law with calcium, iron, and B vitamins. For many people, especially those on lower incomes, packaged bread is an important source of these nutrients.

Removing all packaged bread from the diet could, paradoxically, reduce intake of key micronutrients for some people. This highlights why a blanket “avoid all UPF” message can be overly simplistic.

Processing level vs. nutritional quality

A high-fibre breakfast cereal with added vitamins is technically UPF, but its nutritional profile is vastly different from a bag of crisps or a fizzy drink. Some researchers argue that nutritional quality matters more than processing level alone.

What the evidence actually shows

Most studies showing health harms from UPF are observational — they show correlations, not definitive cause-and-effect. People who eat more UPF may also have other lifestyle factors (lower income, less time for cooking, higher stress) that independently affect health. Controlled trials are still limited.

A balanced perspective

Demonising all processed food risks causing unnecessary anxiety about eating. The goal is awareness and gradual improvement, not perfection. If you rely on some UPFs for convenience or budget reasons, that is completely understandable.

How NutraSafe Helps You Identify UPF

NutraSafe’s UPF scanner uses barcode scanning to instantly classify products and break down their ingredients. When you scan a product, you see:

Whether the product is classified as ultra-processed
A full breakdown of every additive and E-number, with plain-English explanations
The complete nutritional profile — not just the traffic light summary
How the product fits into your daily intake when logged in your food diary

This is not about judging your choices. It is about giving you the information to make informed decisions that work for your life, your budget, and your health goals.

Practical Tips for Reducing UPF Intake

If you want to reduce your UPF consumption, here are realistic, non-extreme approaches:

Start with drinks. Swapping fizzy drinks and squash for water, herbal tea, or diluted fruit juice is one of the simplest and most impactful changes.
Cook one extra meal per week from scratch. You do not need to overhaul your entire diet overnight. One additional home-cooked meal each week adds up over months.
Read ingredients, not just nutrition labels. The nutrition table tells you the macros. The ingredients list tells you what is actually in the food.
Choose simpler versions. Plain yoghurt instead of flavoured, whole fruit instead of fruit snacks, real cheese instead of processed slices.
Do not stress about bread. If fortified packaged bread is a staple in your household, that is fine. Focus your UPF reduction on the products with the least nutritional value — sugary drinks, confectionery, and crisps.
Use your freezer. Batch cooking and freezing is one of the best ways to have convenient, non-UPF meals available when you are short on time.
Browse the product ingredients database to compare what is in popular UK foods before you buy.

Check Any Product for UPF

Scan barcodes with NutraSafe to instantly see whether a product is ultra-processed, plus a full additive breakdown.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What counts as ultra-processed food?

Ultra-processed foods (NOVA Group 4) are industrial formulations made mostly from substances extracted from foods (oils, fats, sugar, starch, protein isolates) plus additives like emulsifiers, flavourings, and colours. They typically have five or more ingredients, many of which you would not find in a home kitchen. Common UK examples include soft drinks, packaged bread, ready meals, crisps, and most breakfast cereals.

How much of the UK diet is ultra-processed?

Research published by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) found that ultra-processed foods make up approximately 57% of the average UK diet by calorie intake. This is among the highest proportions in Europe, with children and lower-income households tending to consume even more.

Is all ultra-processed food bad for you?

Not all UPFs are nutritionally equal. Some, like fortified wholemeal bread or high-fibre breakfast cereals, can contribute useful nutrients to the diet. The concern is primarily with UPFs that are high in sugar, salt, or unhealthy fats while being low in fibre and micronutrients. Context and the overall dietary pattern matter more than individual products.

How can I tell if a food is ultra-processed?

Check the ingredients list. UPFs typically have five or more ingredients and include substances you would not use in home cooking, such as high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, protein isolates, emulsifiers, flavourings, or colour additives. If the list reads more like chemistry than cooking, it is likely ultra-processed.

What is the NOVA food classification system?

NOVA is a food classification system developed by researchers at the University of São Paulo. It groups foods into four categories based on processing level: Group 1 (unprocessed or minimally processed), Group 2 (processed culinary ingredients), Group 3 (processed foods), and Group 4 (ultra-processed foods). It is widely used in nutrition research and public health policy.