Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Aldi Chicken sausages (garlic & herb) ultra-processed?

340 g Chickens Sold in the United Kingdom and Germany

Pack of Aldi Chicken sausages (garlic & herb)

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:

  • 22 ingredients
  • 4 additives

Less processed chickens

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

chicken 80%, Water, Parsley, Rice Flour, Chickpea Flour, Garlic, Potato Fibre, Sea Salt, Stabiliser (Diphosphates), Basil, Black Pepper, Lemon Zest, Cornflour, Flavouring, Preservative (Sodium Metabisulphite), Dextrose, Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid, Filled into Vegetable Based Casings (Calcium Alginate))

Additives: E223 Sodium metabisulphite , E300 Ascorbic acid , E404 Calcium alginate , E450 Diphosphates

As written on the pack

CHICKEN (80%), Water, Parsley, Rice Flour, Chickpea Flour, Garlic, Potato Fibre, Sea Salt, Stabiliser: Diphosphates; Basil, Black Pepper, Lemon Zest, Cornflour, Flavouring, Preservative: Sodium Metabisulphite; Dextrose, Antioxidant: Ascorbic Acid. Filled into Vegetable Based Casings (Calcium Alginate). ALLERGY ADVICE:

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.

  • E404 Calcium alginate A food additive used to dissolve, dilute, disperse or otherwise physically modify a food additive or nutrient without altering its function -and without exerting any technological effect itself- in order to facilitate its handling, application or use of the food additive or nutrient.
  • E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

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.
4 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.

  • 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 356 chickens

From least to most processed, this one ranks 325th. 74% of the chickens 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 356 chickens, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4061459916935, last edited 26 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.
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.