Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Hellmann's Hellmanns Fat Free Vinaigrette 250ml ultra-processed?

250 ml Vinaigrettes Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Hellmann's Hellmanns Fat Free Vinaigrette 250ml

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:

  • 20 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed vinaigrettes

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, herb vinegar, spirit vinegar, herb extracts sugar, thickener (carrageenan, xanthan gum), salt, red pepper paste 0.4% (red pepper, spirit vinegar, salt, sugar), preservative (potassium sorbate), garlic powder, black pepper, thyme, parsley, CAP ON C Recycle Recycle A <1% <1% <1% 2% ETI158108 ✓No artificial colours and flavours 250mle N

Additives: E202 Potassium sorbate , E407 Carrageenan , E415 Xanthan gum

As written on the pack

Water, herb vinegar (spirit vinegar, herb extracts sugar, thickener (carrageenan, xanthan gum), salt, red pepper paste (0.4%) (red pepper, spirit vinegar, salt, sugar), preservative (potassium sorbate), garlic powder, black pepper, thyme, parsley. CAP ON C Recycle Recycle A &lt;1% &lt;1% &lt;1% 2% ETI158108 ✓No artificial colours and flavours 250mle N

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.

  • E407 Carrageenan Carrageenan is a thickener and gelling agent extracted from red seaweed, used widely in dairy desserts, plant-based drinks and processed meats.
  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • Thickener Thickeners, often gums or modified starches, make liquids more viscous so that a product feels richer than its ingredients alone would make it.
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 29 vinaigrettes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 25th. 83% of the vinaigrettes 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 29 vinaigrettes, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 8720182303738, last edited 14 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.