Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Aldi Cheese & bacon pasta bake ultra-processed?

480g Pasta sauces Sold in the United Kingdom and Ireland

Pack of Aldi Cheese & bacon pasta bake

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:

  • 45 ingredients
  • 11 additives

Less processed pasta sauces

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

water, smoke flavoured reformed bacon 5%, pork leg, water, salt, lactose, milk proteins, dextrose, diphosphates, triphosphates, smoke flavouring, sodium nitrite, sodium ascorbate, rapeseed oil, modified maize starch, onions, cheddar cheese 1%, milk, salt, egg yolk powder, sugar, acidity regulators, citric acid, lactic acid, calcium lactate, dextrose, yeast extract, garlic purée, xanthan gum, acacia gum, maltodextrin, mustard flour, flavourings, red chilli purée, potassium chloride, onion powder, carotenes, black pepper, ground nutmeg, coconut oil, cheese powder, turmeric, smoked flavouring, smoked salt, sunflower oil

Additives: E160a Carotene , E250 Sodium nitrite , E270 Lactic acid , E301 Sodium ascorbate , E327 Calcium lactate , E330 Citric acid , E414 Acacia gum , E415 Xanthan gum , E450 Diphosphates , E451 Triphosphates , E508 Potassium chloride

As written on the pack

water, smoke flavoured reformed bacon - 5% (pork leg, water, salt, lactose ( milk ), milk proteins, dextrose, stabilisers (diphosphates, triphosphates), smoke flavouring, preservative (sodium nitrite), antioxidant: sodium ascorbate), rapeseed oil, modified maize starch, onions, cheddar cheese - 1% ( milk ), salt, pasteurised egg yolk powder, sugar, acidity regulators(citric acid, lactic acid, calcium lactate, dextrose, yeast extract (contains barley ), garlic purée, stabilisers(xanthan gum, acacia gum), maltodextrin, mustard flour, flavourings, red chilli purée, potassium chloride, onion powder, colour(carotenes), ground black pepper, ground nutmeg, coconut oil, cheese powder ( milk ), ground turmeric, smoked flavouring, smoked salt, sunflower oil,

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.

  • E160a Carotene Carotenes are orange-yellow pigments, either synthesised or extracted from carrots, algae or palm oil.
  • E327 Calcium lactate Thickeners are substances which increase the viscosity of a foodstuff.
  • E414 Acacia gum Gum arabic (acacia gum) is the hardened sap of acacia trees, used to stabilise flavour emulsions in soft drinks and to coat sweets.
  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
  • E451 Triphosphates 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.
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  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.

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.
  • Lactose Lactose is milk sugar, crystallised industrially from whey, a by-product of cheese making.
  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
  • Milk proteins Milk proteins are proteins separated from milk, such as caseinates and whey protein concentrates, added to adjust texture or raise protein content.
6 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.
  • 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.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 317 pasta sauces

From least to most processed, this one ranks 317th. 49% of the pasta sauces 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 317 pasta sauces, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4088600084268, last edited 12 August 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.
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.