Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Colway Tomato sauce ultra-processed?

500ml Tomato sauces Sold in Australia

Pack of Colway Tomato sauce

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:

  • 13 ingredients
  • 3 additives

Less processed tomato 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

tomato puree 75%, sugar, salt, acidity regulator (260), worcestershire sauce, thickener (415), spice 0.02%, vegetable oil (contains antioxidant (304)), spice extracis

Additives: E260 Acetic acid , E304 Fatty acid esters of ascorbic acid , E415 Xanthan gum

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E415 Xanthan gum.

As written on the pack

reconstituted tomato puree (75%), sugar, salt, acidity regulator (260), worcestershire sauce, thickener (415), spice (0,02%), vegetable oil [contains antioxidant (304)], spice extracis

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.

  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • Thickener Thickeners, often gums or modified starches, make liquids more viscous so that a product feels richer than its ingredients alone would make it.
4 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.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 444 tomato sauces

From least to most processed, this one ranks 409th. 40% of the tomato 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 444 tomato sauces, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4088700034576, last edited 28 January 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.