Is Asda Mackerel fillets In a hot and spicy sauce ultra-processed?

125g Tinned Mackerels Sold in the United Kingdom

It's processed, but not ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Whole foods combined with:

Salt
Starch
Sugar
Vegetable oil

18 ingredients
No additives
Nutri-Score B

Less processed canned fishes

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

Mackerel (Scomber scombrus), Hot and Spicy Sauce 35%, Water, Tomato Paste 7%, Sunflower Oil (processing marker), Spirit Vinegar, Cayenne Pepper, Sugar (processing marker), Salt (processing marker), Onion, Maize Starch (processing marker), Cracked Black Pepper, Garlic, Cumin, Basil, Oregano, Tarragon

As written on the pack

Mackerel (Scomber scombrus) (Fish) (65%), Hot and Spicy Sauce (35%) [Water, Tomato Paste (7.0%), Sunflower Oil, Spirit Vinegar, Cayenne Pepper, Sugar, Salt, Onion Powder, Maize Starch, Cracked Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, Ground Cumin, Basil, Oregano, Tarragon).

What makes it processed

Culinary ingredients

Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.

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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 15 tinned Mackerels

From least to most processed, this one ranks 13th. 7% of the tinned Mackerels 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 15 tinned Mackerels, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5054070622353, 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 B (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.