Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Bella Ricetta Mediteranio pesto ultra-processed?

190g Pestos Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Bella Ricetta Mediteranio pesto

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:

  • 23 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed pestos

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

Red Peppers 35.5%, Sunflower Seed Oil, Potatoes, Ricotta Cheese (Milk Whey, Salt, Citric Acid), Tomato Semiconcentrate, Dried Tomatoes, Salt, Hard Cheese (Milk, Salt, Rennet, Egg Lysozyme), Pecorino Cheese (Sheep Milk, Salt, Rennet), Spices, Lactic Acid, Chilli 0.1%, Sulphur Dioxide

Additives: E1105 Lysozyme , E220 Sulphur dioxide , E270 Lactic acid , E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

Red Peppers (35.5%), Sunflower Seed Oil, Potatoes, Ricotta Cheese (Milk Whey, Salt, Citric Acid) (8%), Tomato Semiconcentrate, Dried Tomatoes, Salt, Hard Cheese (Milk, Salt, Rennet, Egg Lysozyme), Pecorino Cheese (Sheep Milk, Salt, Rennet), Spices, Lactic Acid, Chilli (0.1%), Sulphur Dioxide.

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.

  • Whey Whey is the liquid left over from cheese making, usually dried into a powder and used as a cheap source of milk solids, protein and lactose.
3 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.

  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 134 pestos

From least to most processed, this one ranks 101st. 51% of the pestos 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 134 pestos, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 10159248, 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 E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.