Is it ultra-processed?
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Is 6 pork & chorizo sausages ultra-processed?

321g Sausages Sold in the United Kingdom

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:

  • 40 ingredients
  • 8 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed sausages

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

Pork 67%, Chorizo 15%, Pork, Salt, Smoked Paprika, Dextrose, Garlic, Acerola, Preservatives (Sodium Nitrite, Potassium Nitrite), Nutmeg, Oreganol, Water, Onion, Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Spices, Pea Fibre, Salt, Parsley, Tomato Paste, Garlic Purée, Sugar, Acidity Regulator (Calcium Lactate), Stabilisers (Disodium Diphosphate, Tetrasodium Diphosphate), Red Pepper, Black Pepper, Preservative (Sodium Metabisulphite), Dextrose, Bamboo Fibre, Caramelised Sugar Syrup, Colour (Paprika Extract), Filled into alginate casings, Made using British and EU pork

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E223 Sodium metabisulphite , E249 Potassium nitrite , E250 Sodium nitrite , E327 Calcium lactate , E450 Diphosphates , E450i Disodium diphosphate , E450iii Tetrasodium diphosphate

As written on the pack

Pork (67%), Chorizo (15%) [ Pork, Salt, Smoked Paprika, Dextrose, Garlic, Acerola Extract, Preservatives (Sodium Nitrite, Potassium Nitrite), Nutmeg, Oreganol, Water, Onion, Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Spices, Pea Fibre, Salt, Parsley, Tomato Paste, Garlic Purée, Sugar, Acidity Regulator (Calcium Lactate), Stabilisers (Disodium Diphosphate, Tetrasodium Diphosphate), Red Pepper, Black Pepper, Preservative (Sodium Metabisulphite), Dextrose, Bamboo Fibre, Caramelised Sugar Syrup, Colour (Paprika Extract). Filled into alginate casings. Made using British and EU pork. Allergy Advice For allergens, see ingredients in bold. Gluten Free.

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.
  • E327 Calcium lactate Thickeners are substances which increase the viscosity of a foodstuff.
  • E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.

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.

  • Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Vegetable fiber Isolated plant fibres, such as inulin, oat fibre or bamboo fibre, are extracted industrially and added to change texture or support "source of fibre" claims.
8 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.

  • E249 Potassium nitrite A food additive authorised for industrial food production.
  • E250 Sodium nitrite Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
  • Prepared meats Products in the category "Prepared meats" are at least group 3.
  • Sausages Products in the category "Sausages" are at least group 3.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 337 sausages

From least to most processed, this one ranks 324th. 80% of the sausages 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 337 sausages, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5059512741111, 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.
  • 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.