Is Birchwood Reduced fat smooth brussels pâté ultra-processed?

175g Pork Pâtés 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:

Emulsifier
E472c Citric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

19 ingredients
6 additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed pork Pâtés

Tesco Spreadable Brussels Pâté British Pork Britis Tesco 15 ingredients · 4 additives NOVA group 3
Bredbar Leverpastej Lönneberga 14 ingredients · 1 additive NOVA group 3

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 Liver 38%, Water, Pork 10%, Pork Fat 10%, Pork Rinds, Salt (processing marker), Tapioca Starch (processing marker), Sugar (processing marker), Onion, Spices, Emulsifier (ultra-processing marker) (Citric Acid Esters of mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids (ultra-processing marker)), Acidity Regulators (Citric Acid, Sodium Acetate), Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid), Preservative (processing marker) (Sodium Nitrite (processing marker))

Additives: E250 Sodium nitrite , E262 Sodium acetates , E262i Sodium acetate , E300 Ascorbic acid , E330 Citric acid , E472c Citric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

As written on the pack

Pork Liver 38%, Water, Pork 10%, Pork Fat 10%, Pork Rinds, Salt, Tapioca Starch, Sugar, Onion, Spices, Emulsifier (Citric Acid Esters of Mono - and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Acidity Regulators (Citric Acid, Sodium Acetate), Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid), Preservative (Sodium Nitrite).

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.

E472c Citric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Antioxidants are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by oxidation, such as fat rancidity and colour changes.
Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.

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.
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.
Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 24 pork Pâtés

From least to most processed, this one ranks 15th. 92% of the pork Pâtés 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 24 pork Pâtés, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 20837631, 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 D (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.