Is Aldi Chilled Potato Au Gratin ultra-processed?

400g Potato gratin Sold in the United Kingdom

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Dextrose
Glucose
E412 Guar gum

16 ingredients
1 additive

Less processed potato gratin

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

potato 60%, cheese sauce (processing marker) 40% (Water, Milk, Rapeseed Oil, emmental cheese (processing marker) 7%, Crème Fraîche, Maize Starch (processing marker), Pasteurised Egg Yolk, cream 2%, Salt (processing marker), Dextrose (ultra-processing marker), Spices, Sugar (processing marker), Stabiliser (Guar Gum (ultra-processing marker)))

Additives: E412 Guar gum

As written on the pack

POTATO (60%), CHEESE SAUCE (40%) [Water, Milk, Rapeseed Oil, EMMENTAL CHEESE (7%) (Milk), Crème Fraîche (Milk), Maize Starch, Pasteurised Egg Yolk, CREAM (2%) (Milk), Salt, Dextrose, Spices, Sugar, Stabiliser: Guar Gum].

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.

E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.

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.

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.

Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
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.
Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.
Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 13 potato gratin

From least to most processed, this one ranks 13th. 31% of the potato gratin 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 13 potato gratin, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4088600070230, last edited 2 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.