Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Essential Waitrose Almond Unsweetened ultra-processed?

Almond-based drinks Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Essential Waitrose Almond Unsweetened

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:

  • 14 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed almond-based drinks

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

Water, almonds 2%, tricalcium phosphate, sea salt, stabiliser (locust bean gum, gellan gum), emulsifier (rapeseed lecithin), vitamins, vitamin E, vitamin B12, vitamin B2, vitamin D2

Additives: E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E410 Locust bean gum , E418 Gellan gum

As written on the pack

Water, almonds (2%), tricalcium phosphate, sea salt, stabiliser (locust bean gum, gellan gum), emulsifier (rapeseed lecithin), vitamin E, vitamin B12, vitamin B2, vitamin D2

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.

  • 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.
  • E410 Locust bean gum Locust bean gum (carob gum) is a thickener and stabiliser from the seeds of the carob tree.
  • E418 Gellan gum Stabilisers are substances which make it possible to maintain the physico-chemical state of a foodstuff; stabilisers include substances which enable the maintenance of a homogenous dispersion of two or more immiscible substances in a foodstuff, substances which stabilise, retain or intensify an existing colour of a foodstuff and substances which increase the binding capacity of the food, including the formation of cross-links between proteins enabling the binding of food pieces into re-constituted food.
  • Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.
1 ingredient 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 116 almond-based drinks

From least to most processed, this one ranks 75th. 85% of the almond-based drinks 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 116 almond-based drinks, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000169585139, last edited 9 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.