Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Co-Op Spaghetti carbonara ultra-processed?

400 g Carbonara-style pasta Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Co-Op Spaghetti carbonara

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:

  • 30 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed carbonara-style pasta

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

Spaghetti 37% (Water, Durum Wheat Semolina), Milk, Smoked Bacon 9% (Pork, Salt, Sugar, Stabiliser (Disodium diphosphate), Antioxidant (Sodium ascorbate), Preservative (Sodium nitrite)), Water, Single Cream, Medium Fat Hard Cheese, Medium Fat Soft Cheese, Crème Fraîche, Garlic Purée, Cornflour, Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Salt, Black Pepper, Pork 8%

Additives: E250 Sodium nitrite , E301 Sodium ascorbate , E450 Diphosphates , E450i Disodium diphosphate

As written on the pack

Cooked Spaghetti (37%) (Water, Durum Wheat Semolina), Milk, Smoked Bacon (9%) (Pork, Salt, Sugar, Stabiliser (Disodium diphosphate), Antioxidant (Sodium ascorbate), Preservative (Sodium nitrite)), Water, Single Cream (Milk), Medium Fat Hard Cheese (Milk) (4%), Medium Fat Soft Cheese (Milk) (3%), Crème Fraîche (Milk), Garlic Purée, Cornflour, Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Salt, Black Pepper. 8% Pork. Allergy Advice

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.

  • E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
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.
  • Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 11 carbonara-style pasta

From least to most processed, this one ranks 7th. 55% of the carbonara-style pasta 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 11 carbonara-style pasta, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000128626576, 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.