Is Heinz For Two Baked beans in a deliciously rich tomato sauce ultra-processed?

300 g Baked beans in tomato sauce Sold in Australia

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Flavouring
E1422 Acetylated distarch adipate

12 ingredients
3 additives
Nutri-Score A

Less processed baked beans in tomato sauce

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

navy beans 51%, tomato sauce (processing marker) 49%, tomatoes 24%, water, sugar (processing marker), maize thickener (1422), salt (processing marker), food acids (acetic acid, citric acid), flavours (ultra-processing marker)

Additives: E1422 Acetylated distarch adipate , E260 Acetic acid , E330 Citric acid

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E1422 Acetylated distarch adipate.

As written on the pack

navy beans (51%), tomato sauce (49%) [tomatoes (24%), water, sugar, maize thickener (1422), salt, food acids (acetic acid, citric acid), flavours), may be present: soy,

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.

E1422 Acetylated distarch adipate Acetylated distarch adipate is a chemically modified starch that holds up to heating, freezing and acidity, used to thicken sauces and fillings.
Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

3 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.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 114 baked beans in tomato sauce

From least to most processed, this one ranks 58th. 82% of the baked beans in tomato sauce 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 114 baked beans in tomato sauce, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 9300657234713, last edited 2 April 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.