Is it ultra-processed?
Menu

Is Aldi Carlos takeaway double pepperoni ultra-processed?

Pepperoni pizzas Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Aldi Carlos takeaway double pepperoni

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:

  • 57 ingredients
  • 6 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed pepperoni pizzas

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 (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Water, mozzarella cheese 19%, tomato sauce 12% (Water, Tomato Purée, Rapeseed Oil, Cornflour, Sugar, Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Oregano, Black Pepper), pepperoni 6% (Pork, Sea Salt, Salt, Dextrose, Paprika, Cayenne Pepper, Garlic, Paprika Extract, Antioxidants (Extracts of Rosemary), Sodium Ascorbate, Pepper Extract, Preservative (Sodium Nitrite)), mini pepperoni 3.5% (Pork, Salt, Dextrose, Chilli, Antioxidants (Extracts of Rosemary), Sodium Ascorbate, Anise, Paprika Extract, Garlic, Pepper Extract, Sugar, Preservative (Sodium Nitrite), Ginger Extract), Edam Cheese, mature cheddar cheese 2.5%, Rapeseed Oil, Yeast, Sugar, Salt, Stabiliser (Methyl Cellulose)

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E250 Sodium nitrite , E301 Sodium ascorbate , E330 Citric acid , E392 Extracts of rosemary , E461 Methyl cellulose

As written on the pack

Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Water, MOZZARELLA CHEESE (19%) (Milk), TOMATO SAUCE (12%) (Water, Tomato Purée, Rapeseed Oil, Cornflour, Sugar, Acidity Regulator: Citric Acid; Oregano, Black Pepper), PEPPERONI (6%) (Pork, Sea Salt, Salt, Dextrose, Paprika, Cayenne Pepper Powder, Garlic Powder, Paprika Extract, Antioxidants: Extracts of Rosemary, Sodium Ascorbate; Pepper Extract, Preservative: Sodium Nitrite), MINI PEPPERONI (3.5%) (Pork, Salt, Dextrose, Chilli Powder, Antioxidants: Extracts of Rosemary, Sodium Ascorbate; Anise Powder, Paprika Extract, Garlic Powder, Pepper Extract, Sugar, Preservative: Sodium Nitrite; Ginger Extract), Edam Cheese (Milk), MATURE CHEDDAR CHEESE (2.5%) (Milk), Rapeseed Oil, Yeast, Sugar, Salt, Stabiliser: Methyl Cellulose.

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.
  • E461 Methyl cellulose Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.

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.
7 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.

  • 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.
  • Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.
  • Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 34 pepperoni pizzas

From least to most processed, this one ranks 25th. 94% of the pepperoni pizzas 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 34 pepperoni pizzas, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4088600296425, 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 D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.