Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Hellman’s hellmanns plant based ultra-processed?

400 g Plant-based mayonnaises Sold in the United Kingdom and Ireland

Pack of Hellman’s hellmanns plant based

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:

  • 13 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed vegan 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

Rapeseed oil 52%, water, spirit vinegar, modified starch, sugar, salt, natural flavourings (contain MUSTARD), lemon juice concentrate, xanthan gum, calcium disodium EDTA, paprika extract, Hellmann's alternative to mayonnaise

Additives: E14XX Modified Starch , E160c Paprika extract , E385 Calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate , E415 Xanthan gum

As written on the pack

Rapeseed oil (52%), water, spirit vinegar, modified starch, sugar, salt, natural flavourings (contain MUSTARD), lemon juice concentrate, thickener (xanthan gum), antioxidant (calcium disodium EDTA), paprika extract. Hellmann's vegan alternative to mayonnaise .........

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.

  • E14xx Modified Starch Modified starches (E1400 to E1452) are starches treated physically, with enzymes or chemically so that they thicken and hold up to heating, freezing or acidity better than ordinary starch.
  • E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
  • 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.
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.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 19 plant-based mayonnaises

From least to most processed, this one ranks 16th. 95% of the plant-based 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 19 plant-based mayonnaises, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 8720182789662, last edited 24 September 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.