Is Asda Spanish chorizo 225g ultra-processed?

Meats 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

20 ingredients
5 additives

Less processed meats

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 (processing marker), Smoked Paprika 3%, Dextrose (ultra-processing marker), Garlic, Antioxidant (Sodium Ascorbate), Preservatives (processing marker) (Sodium Nitrite (processing marker), Potassium Nitrate (processing marker)), Nutmeg, Oregano, Sausage Casing (Pork Protein, Preservatives (processing marker) (Potassium Sorbate (processing marker), Natamycin)), Made with 129g of pork per 100g of finished product, NUTRITION We suggest this product provides 3 servings Typical Values Energy kJ Energy kcal Fat of which saturates Carbohydrate of which sugars P Per 100g 1842 1, 3 pa pad 1381 445 334 399 299 14g 109 1.6g 1.29 0.79

Additives: E202 Potassium sorbate , E235 Natamycin , E250 Sodium nitrite , E252 Potassium nitrate , E301 Sodium ascorbate

As written on the pack

Pork*, Salt, Smoked Paprika (3%), Dextrose, Garlic, Antioxidant (Sodium Ascorbate), Preservatives (Sodium Nitrite, Potassium Nitrate), Nutmeg, Oregano, Sausage Casing [Pork Protein, Preservatives (Potassium Sorbate, Natamycin)]. *Made with 129g of pork per 100g of finished product. Packaged in a protective atmosphere. NO ARTIFICIAL COLOURS OR FLAVOURS. NUTRITION We suggest this product provides 3 servings Typical Values Energy kJ Energy kcal Fat of which saturates Carbohydrate of which sugars P Per 100g 1842 1/3 pa pad 1381 445 334 399 299 14g 109 1.6g 1.29 0.79

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.

5 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.

E202 Potassium sorbate 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.
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.
Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 1,200 meats

From least to most processed, this one ranks 811th. 64% of the meats 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 1,200 meats, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5063089485477, 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.
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.