Is it ultra-processed?
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Is heinz mayo light ultra-processed?

Light mayonnaises Sold in the United Kingdom and France

Pack of heinz mayo light

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:

  • 28 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed light mayonnaises

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 25%, starch, egg 3.5%, špirit vinegar, sugar, salt, pasteurized egg yolk 1%, lemon juice concentrate, potassium sorbate, mustard seeds, spice, calcium disodium edta, from free range eggs, y absolutely no added colours, flavours, artificial thickeners, "heinz light mayonnaise has 60% less fat than regular mayonnaise ohj, heinz foods uk ltd, hayes, middlesex, ub4 8al, uk careline 0800 5285757 (roi 1800 995311), www, heinz, co, uk e420g-400 ml 400 a

Additives: E202 Potassium sorbate , E385 Calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate , E400 Alginic acid

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E400 Alginic acid.

As written on the pack

water, rapeseed oil 25%, starch, pasteurized egg** 3,5%, špirit vinegar, sugar, salt, pasteurized egg yolk** 1%, lemon juice concentrate, preservative (potassium sorbate), mustard seeds, spice, antioxidant (calcium disodium edta), **from free range eggs, made with free range eggs, y absolutely no added colours, flavours or artificial thickeners, "heinz light mayonnaise has 60% less fat than regular mayonnaise ohj, heinz foods uk ltd,, hayes, middlesex, ub4 8al, uk careline 0800 5285757 (roi 1800 995311), www,heinz,co,uk e 420 g-400 ml 400 a

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.

  • E400 Alginic acid A food additive used to dissolve, dilute, disperse or otherwise physically modify a food additive or nutrient without altering its function -and without exerting any technological effect itself- in order to facilitate its handling, application or use of the food additive or nutrient.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
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.
  • 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 23 light mayonnaises

From least to most processed, this one ranks 4th. 91% of the light mayonnaises 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 23 light mayonnaises, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000157076403, last edited 31 July 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.