Is Ashfields (Aldi) Dry Cured British Cooked Ham ultra-processed?

White hams Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Ashfields (Aldi) Dry Cured British Cooked Ham

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:

  • 10 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed white hams

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 98%, Salt (processing marker), Sugar (processing marker), Triphosphates (ultra-processing marker), Sodium Ascorbate, Sodium Nitrite (processing marker), use by, See front of pack, storage (Keep refrigerated below 5°C)

Additives: E250 Sodium nitrite , E301 Sodium ascorbate , E451 Triphosphates

As written on the pack

PORK (98%), Salt, Sugar, Stabiliser: Triphosphates; Antioxidant: Sodium Ascorbate; Preservative: Sodium Nitrite. USE BY: See front of pack. STORAGE: Keep refrigerated below 5°C.

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.

  • E451 Triphosphates Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
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.

  • 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.
  • Prepared meats Products in the category "Prepared meats" are at least group 3.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 65 white hams

From least to most processed, this one ranks 23rd. 78% of the white hams 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 65 white hams, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4061462013997, last edited 4 September 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.