Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Continental Cont Alfredo 85g ultra-processed?

85g Instant pasta Sold in Australia

Pack of Continental Cont Alfredo 85g

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:

  • 26 ingredients
  • 5 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed instant 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

Pasta 78% (wheat flour, natural colour (carotene)), maltodextrin, natural flavours, starch (corn, potato), cheese powder 2.2%, mineral (salts, 451), 452, 508, flavour enhancer (621), salt, sugar, mustard, chives, vegetable oil, Best Before 19, 02, 26 TiG 21 (08 Certified 69995055 9 300667 035089">)

Additives: E160a Carotene , E451 Triphosphates , E452 Polyphosphates , E508 Potassium chloride , E621 Monosodium glutamate

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E451 Triphosphates, E452 Polyphosphates, E621 Monosodium glutamate.

As written on the pack

Pasta (78%) [wheat flour, natural colour (carotene)], maltodextrin, natural flavours (contain milk), starch (corn, potato), cheese powder (2.2%) (milk), mineral salts (451, 452, 508), flavour enhancer (621), salt, sugar, mustard powder, chives, vegetable oil. Contains: wheat, gluten, milk. May contain: soy, peanut, tree nuts, egg, sesame, fish, crustacean, lupin. Best Before 19/02/26 TiG 21:08 Certified 69995055 9 300667 035089">

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.

  • E160a Carotene Carotenes are orange-yellow pigments, either synthesised or extracted from carrots, algae or palm oil.
  • E451 Triphosphates Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
  • E452 Polyphosphates Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
  • 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.
Show 1 more
  • 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.
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.

  • 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.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 43 instant pasta

From least to most processed, this one ranks 41st. 60% of the instant 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 43 instant pasta, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 9300667035089, last edited 21 March 2025), 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.