Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Essential Waitrose French dressing ultra-processed?

250 ml Salad dressings Sold in the United Kingdom and France

Pack of Essential Waitrose French dressing

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:

  • 18 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed salad dressings

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, rapeseed oil 30%, white wine vinegar 15%, sugar, salt, garlic purée, black pepper, preservative (potassium sorbate), parsley, tarragon, thyme, red peppers, stabiliser (xanthan gum), turmeric, acidity regulator (citric acid)

Additives: E202 Potassium sorbate , E330 Citric acid , E415 Xanthan gum

As written on the pack

Water, rapeseed oil (30%), white wine vinegar (15%), sugar, salt, garlic purée, black pepper, preservative potassium sorbate, parsley, tarragon, thyme, red peppers, stabiliser xanthan gum, turmeric, acidity regulator citric acid

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.
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.

  • E202 Potassium sorbate Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 252 salad dressings

From least to most processed, this one ranks 82nd. 85% of the salad dressings 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 252 salad dressings, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000169042755, last edited 17 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 D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.