Is it ultra-processed?
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Is G Hughes BBQ Sauce ultra-processed?

30 g Barbecue sauces Sold in the United States

Pack of G Hughes BBQ 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:

  • 19 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed barbecue 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

crushed tomatoes (water, crushed tomatoes), apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, modified cornstarch, salt, less than 2% of (onion), lemon juice, garlic, black pepper, cinnamon, natural hickory smoke, spices, natural hickory smoke flavor, natural caramel color, xanthan cum, sucralose

Additives: E150c Ammonia caramel , E955 Sucralose

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E150c Ammonia caramel.

As written on the pack

CRUSHED TOMATOES (WATER, CONCENTRATED CRUSHED TOMATOES), APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, WHITE VINEGAR, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, SALT, LESS THAN 2% OF: MINCED ONION, LEMON JUICE (FROM CONCENTRATE), GARLIC POWDER, BLACK PEPPER, GROUND CINNAMON, NATURAL HICKORY SMOKE, SPICES, NATURAL HICKORY SMOKE FLAVOR, NATURAL CARAMEL COLOR, XANTHAN CUM, SUCRALOSE.

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.

  • E150c Ammonia caramel Ammonia caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars with ammonia compounds.
  • E955 Sucralose Sucralose is a sweetener made by chlorinating sugar.
  • Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.
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.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 107 barbecue sauces

From least to most processed, this one ranks 40th. 86% of the barbecue sauces 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 107 barbecue sauces, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0026825000117, last edited 25 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.