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The Health Factory

Zero Maida Whole Wheat Bread

Name: Zero Maida Whole Wheat Bread
Brand: The Health Factory

Use in moderation SafeShelf · review pending

NOVA 4zero maidahigh proteinhigh fiberlow sugarno palm oilno artificial colourslactose-freepregnancy-safenut-freeenjoy in moderation

Serving

50 g

Pack

250 g

Ingredients

Barcode

8908009059154

Buy on Amazon

01 — Ingredient mix

What’s in the box, ranked from most concerning.

Each ingredient gets a tier from our researched dossier. The list sorts worst-first; the donut summarises the distribution. Tap any ingredient for its full dossier.

Caution · 3 ingredients shown

Caution3 of 8 ingredients

Wheat GlutenCaution

Cane SugarCaution

Cultured Wheat FlourCaution

Cleared 5▾

Chakki Fresh Atta (Whole Wheat Flour)Cleared

YeastCleared

Rice Bran Oil (Edible Vegetable Oil)Cleared

Iodised SaltCleared

Cultured GlucoseCleared

02 — Claims audit

Every label claim, fact-checked.

We treat each claim as a question — does what’s inside back it up? Tap a claim for the reasoning.

6/8

claims fully supported

“Zero Maida”true

The full ingredient list shows only Chakki Fresh Atta (Whole Wheat Flour) as the flour base; no refined wheat flour (maida) is listed.

“No Chemical Preservatives”misleading

The product contains cultured wheat flour and cultured glucose — fermentation-derived biopreservatives that inhibit mould and bacteria. They are not synthetic chemical preservatives, but they do perform a preservative function; calling the product preservative-free would be inaccurate even if the specific framing of 'chemical' is technically defensible.

“No Colours”true

No colouring agents, artificial or natural, appear in the ingredient list.

“No Palm Oil”true

The only oil listed is rice bran oil (edible vegetable oil); no palm oil or palm-derived fraction is present.

“No Emulsifiers”true

The ingredient list contains no emulsifiers (no lecithin, mono- or diglycerides, DATEM, SSL, or E-number emulsifiers).

“Low Sugar & Low Fat”true

Total sugar is 4.13 g/100 g (below FSSAI's 5 g/100 g 'low sugar' threshold) and total fat is 1.33 g/100 g (well below the 3 g/100 g 'low fat' threshold for solid foods). Both criteria are met.

“Source of Protein & Fibre”true

Per 50 g serving: protein is 6.74 g (~22% of serving energy) exceeding FSSAI's 'source of protein' threshold; dietary fibre is 3.16 g per serving meeting the ≥3 g per serving 'source of fibre' criterion.

“Clean Label Promise”unverified

'Clean label' carries no standardised regulatory definition under FSSAI, FDA, or EFSA. The product avoids synthetic additives but includes isolated wheat gluten and fermentation-derived preservatives — ingredients that would not feature in a home recipe. The claim cannot be objectively verified or falsified.

03 — The fuller picture

Read the whole thing if a one-line verdict isn’t enough.

What’s in favour, and what’s working against it

In favour

No refined maida (whole wheat flour only)
High protein: 13.5 g per 100 g
Good source of dietary fibre: 6.3 g per 100 g
No artificial colours or emulsifiers
No palm oil; uses rice bran oil
Low added sugar: only 1.94 g per 100 g

Working against

NOVA 4 ultra-processed: added gluten isolate and fermentation preservatives
Moderate-to-high sodium: 347 mg per 100 g (173 mg per slice)
Cultured wheat flour and cultured glucose function as preservatives despite clean-label framing
Contains wheat and gluten — unsuitable for celiac or wheat-allergy sufferers
No percentage declarations for any ingredient — relative amounts unknown

Who should approach with care

Gluten Intolerance — The product contains three gluten sources — whole wheat flour, added wheat gluten isolate, and cultured wheat flour — each of which independently triggers the autoimmune intestinal injury characteristic of celiac disease; strict lifelong avoidance is required.

Infants — Iodised salt must be avoided in infant foods due to immature renal function; additionally, high-fibre whole wheat and fermentation preservatives lack dedicated infant safety data, making this product inappropriate for children under 12 months.

Other — Individuals with IgE-mediated wheat allergy must avoid this product entirely, as whole wheat flour, added wheat gluten, and cultured wheat flour all retain wheat storage proteins capable of triggering reactions up to anaphylaxis — wheat is a mandatory declared allergen under FSSAI.

Pregnancy — Iodine requirements rise to 200–250 µg/day during pregnancy, and iodised salt alone may be insufficient to meet this threshold; both iodine deficiency and excess carry fetal neurodevelopmental risk, requiring clinician-guided supplementation assessment.

Lactation — Lactating women have elevated iodine needs (200 µg/day per EFSA) that iodised salt from bread may not adequately fulfil; a clinician should assess whether additional iodine supplementation is needed.

Thyroid Disease — Excess iodine from iodised salt can precipitate iodine-induced thyrotoxicosis or exacerbate autoimmune thyroid conditions such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis or Graves' disease; medical guidance on total iodine intake is recommended.

Hypertension — Sodium content is 347 mg/100 g (173 mg per slice), contributed by iodised salt and the inherent ~6% sodium content of cultured glucose; individuals on salt-restricted diets should account for this bread as a meaningful sodium source.

Kidney Disease — Impaired renal function reduces capacity to excrete sodium, phosphorus, and potassium — all present in whole wheat flour and iodised salt — requiring portion control and dietitian supervision.

Heart Disease — High dietary sodium promotes fluid retention and cardiovascular load; patients with heart disease should factor this bread's 347 mg/100 g sodium into their clinician-prescribed daily sodium limit.

Diabetes — Despite being a whole wheat product with a lower glycaemic index than white bread, the carbohydrate load (43.9 g/100 g, 22 g per slice) and the presence of sucrose require careful carbohydrate counting and portion control by individuals managing diabetes.

Ibs — Whole wheat flour and cultured wheat flour are high in fructans (FODMAPs), which can exacerbate bloating, cramping, and altered bowel habits in IBS sufferers following a low-FODMAP protocol.

Ibd — Multiple wheat-gluten-containing ingredients (wheat flour, added gluten, cultured wheat flour) may aggravate intestinal barrier dysfunction in susceptible individuals with inflammatory bowel disease; gastroenterologist review of wheat intake during active flares is advisable.

Gout — Yeast is among the richest dietary sources of purines (metabolised to uric acid), and the fructose moiety of cane sugar independently elevates serum urate; both ingredients can precipitate or worsen gout attacks in predisposed individuals.

Children — WHO and EFSA flag children as highly susceptible to dental caries and unhealthy weight gain from free-sugar diets; while sugar levels here are low, the bread's sodium content is also worth moderating in children's daily intake.

The full analysis

Health-conscious urban consumers looking to replace refined-flour white bread will find this product genuinely free of maida, artificial colours, palm oil, and emulsifiers, with a creditable protein (13.5 g/100 g) and fibre (6.3 g/100 g) profile. However, the addition of isolated wheat gluten and two fermentation-derived preservatives (cultured wheat flour, cultured glucose) pushes it into NOVA 4 ultra-processed territory — these are ingredients rarely assembled in a home kitchen even if they carry clean-label marketing. The single most useful thing to know: the bread is a good whole-grain choice over maida-based alternatives, but it is not minimally processed, and its 347 mg/100 g sodium warrants attention for anyone on a salt-restricted diet.

FSSAI licence

11522998000168

Manufacturer

For the unit address and FSSAI Lic. no., please refer to the last two characters of the batch no. and scan the QR code.

Region

Source

MANUAL

Analysis

Independently researched