Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Essential Waitrose Basil pesto ultra-processed?

Green pestos Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Essential Waitrose Basil pesto

It's processed, but not ultra-processed

  1. 1 Unprocessed
  2. 2 Kitchen staple
  3. 3 Processed
  4. 4 Ultra-processed

Whole foods combined with:

  • 16 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score C

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

basil, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, pecorino Romano cheese, ewes milk, grana pedano cheese, milk, egg, cashew nuts, extra virgin olive oil, maize starch, pine nuts, salt, sugar, lactic acid, garlic

Additives: E270 Lactic acid

As written on the pack

basil, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, pecorino Romano cheese, ewes milk, grana pedano cheese, milk, egg, cashew nuts, extra virgin olive oil, maize starch, pine nuts, salt, sugar, lactic acid, garlic

What makes it processed

Processed ingredients

Processed foods in their own right, such as cheese or milk powder.

  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

Culinary ingredients

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.
  • 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 79 green pestos

From least to most processed, this one ranks 27th. 49% of the green pestos 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 79 green pestos, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000169552346, 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.