Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Essential Waitrose Tomato and basilic pasta sauce ultra-processed?

Tomato sauces with basil Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Essential Waitrose Tomato and basilic pasta 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:

  • 11 ingredients
  • No additives
  • Nutri-Score A

Less processed tomato sauces with basil

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

tomatoes, tomato purée, water, basil, onion, salt, olive oil, cornflour, garlic powder, wheat fibre, acidity regulator

As written on the pack

tomatoes tomato purée water basil onion salt olive oil cornflour garlic powder wheat fibre acidity regulator

What makes it ultra-processed

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.

  • Vegetable fiber Isolated plant fibres, such as inulin, oat fibre or bamboo fibre, are extracted industrially and added to change texture or support "source of fibre" claims.
2 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.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 35 tomato sauces with basil

From least to most processed, this one ranks 28th. 29% of the tomato sauces with basil 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 35 tomato sauces with basil, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000169552315, last edited 22 September 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 A (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.