Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Colman's Tuna Pasta Bake ultra-processed?

45g Sauces Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Colman's Tuna Pasta Bake

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:

  • 27 ingredients
  • No additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed 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

WHEAT flour, tomato puree 25%, sugar, starch, salt, cheese powder 4.5% (Cheddar cheese, cheese, whey), onion 3%, flavourings, yeast extract, herbs (parsley!", oregano, thyme"), spices (garlic, paprika, turmeric, pepper), potassium chloride, lemon juice (sugar, lemon juice, salt), beetroot powder

As written on the pack

WHEAT flour, tomato puree powder (25%), sugar, starch, salt, cheese powder (4.5%) (Cheddar cheese, cheese, whey) (MILK), onion (3%), flavourings (contain MILK), yeast extract, herbs (parsley!", oregano, thyme"), spices (garlic powder, paprika, turmeric, pepper), potassium chloride, lemon juice powder (sugar, lemon juice, salt), beetroot powder.

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.

  • 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.

  • 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.
5 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.

  • Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
  • 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.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 2,964 sauces

From least to most processed, this one ranks 1770th. 60% of the 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 2,964 sauces, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 8712566140923, last edited 1 June 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.