Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Asda Diced Chorizo ultra-processed?

Chorizos Sold in the United Kingdom and Germany

Pack of Asda Diced Chorizo

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:

  • 17 ingredients
  • 3 additives

Less processed chorizos

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“, salt, smoked paprika, pork fat, lactose, milk powder, milk protein, garlic, dextrose, antioxidant (sodium erythorbate), preservatives (sodium nitrite, potassium nitrate), nutmeg, oregano, made with 135g of pork per 100g and finished product

Additives: E250 Sodium nitrite , E252 Potassium nitrate , E316 Sodium erythorbate

As written on the pack

pork“, salt, smoked paprika, pork fat, lactose (milk), milk powder, milk protein, garlic, dextrose, antioxidant (sodium erythorbate), preservatives (sodium nitrite, potassium nitrate), nutmeg, oregano. *made with 135g of pork per 100g or finished product. allergy advice! for allergens,

What makes it ultra-processed

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.
  • 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.
  • E252 Potassium nitrate 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.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 26 chorizos

From least to most processed, this one ranks 21st. 65% of the chorizos 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 26 chorizos, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5052449269451, last edited 16 April 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.