Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Bisto Vegetable Gravy ultra-processed?

Dehydrated sauces Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Bisto Vegetable Gravy

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:

  • 39 ingredients
  • 4 additives

Less processed dehydrated sauces

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

serving suggestion Vegetable Stew with Dumplings dients (Potato Starch), Maltodextrin, Salt, Palm Fat, Sugar, Wheat Flour, with added Powder, Flavour Enhancer (Monosodium Glutamate), Yeast Extract (on, Niacin, Thiamin), Flavouring, Dried Onion, Colour (Ammonia Caramel), Onion (Soya Lecithin), Parsley, Carrot Juice Powder, Acidity Regulator, Citric Add Sage Extract, Black Pepper Extract, Lovage, Onion Oil, Rosemary Extract Allergy Advice, including cereals containing gluten see ingredients in bold trade marks, designs and logos appearing on this pack are owned by the Foods Group, If you have any problems please keep the packaging and phone UK (0800 234 6328 Mon-Fri 9.00am), 5.00pm FREEPOST PREMIER BODS CONSUMER RELATIONS, ROI (1800 93 2814, Premier Foods ROI), PO Box No 13008, Dublin 1, Ireland

Additives: E150c Ammonia caramel , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E621 Monosodium glutamate

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E150c Ammonia caramel.

As written on the pack

serving suggestion Vegetable Stew with Dumplings dients: Potato Starch,Maltodextrin, Salt, Palm Fat, Sugar, Wheat Flour (with added Powder, Flavour Enhancer (Monosodium Glutamate), Yeast Extract (contains Barley on, Niacin, Thiamin), Flavouring, Dried Onion, Colour (Ammonia Caramel), Onion (Soya Lecithin), Dried Parsley, Carrot Juice Powder, Acidity Regulator (Citric Add Sage Extract, Black Pepper Extract, Ground Lovage, Onion Oil, Rosemary Extract Allergy Advice: For allergens, including cereals containing gluten see ingredients in bold trade marks, designs and logos appearing on this pack are owned by the Foods Group. If you have any problems please keep the packaging and phone UK: 0800 234 6328 Mon-Fri 9.00am - 5.00pm FREEPOST PREMIER BODS CONSUMER RELATIONS. ROI: 1800 93 2814. Premier Foods ROI, PO Box No 13008, Dublin 1, Ireland

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.

  • E150c Ammonia caramel Ammonia caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars with ammonia compounds.
  • E322 Lecithins Lecithins are fatty substances extracted mostly from soybeans, sunflower seeds or eggs, used as emulsifiers to keep fat and water mixed, for example in chocolate.
  • E621 Monosodium glutamate Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation and used to strengthen savoury taste.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • Flavour enhancer Flavour enhancers such as monosodium glutamate (E621) strengthen savoury taste without adding a flavour of their own.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

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.

  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
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.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 50 dehydrated sauces

From least to most processed, this one ranks 35th. 96% of the dehydrated sauces 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 50 dehydrated sauces, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000354919602, last edited 5 July 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.