Is it ultra-processed?
Menu

Is Hellmann's Mayonnaise type dressing ultra-processed?

890ml Mayonnaises Sold in Canada and France

Pack of Hellmann's Mayonnaise type dressing

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:

  • 17 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed 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, canola, extra virgin olive oil, liquid whole egg, modified corn starch, sugar, vinegar, salt, concentrated lemon juice, sorbic acid (maintains quality), xanthan gum, citric acid, spices, natural flavour, and CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA (maintains flavour)

Additives: E200 Sorbic acid , E330 Citric acid , E385 Calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate , E415 Xanthan gum

As written on the pack

WATER, CANOLA AND EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, LIQUID WHOLE EGG, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, SUGAR, VINEGAR, SALT, CONCENTRATED LEMON JUICE, SORBIC ACID (MAINTAINS QUALITY), XANTHAN GUM, CITRIC ACID, SPICES, NATURAL FLAVOUR, NATURAL COLOUR AND CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA (MAINTAINS FLAVOUR).

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.

  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • 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.
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.

  • 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.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 239 mayonnaises

From least to most processed, this one ranks 181st. 72% of the 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 239 mayonnaises, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0068400158066, last edited 13 March 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.