Is it ultra-processed?
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Is ICA Selection Ricotta & Tomat Pastasås ultra-processed?

420 g Tomato sauces Sold in Sweden

Pack of ICA Selection Ricotta & Tomat Pastasås

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:

  • 27 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed tomato 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

Hackade tomater 48%, tomatjuice, tomatpuré, ricotta 12% (vasslepulver från mjölk, mjölk, salt, surhetsreglerande medel (e330)), Parmigiano-Reggiano 3% (mjölk, salt, löpe), basilika, rödlök, extra virgin olivolja 1%, salt, socker, surhetsreglerande medel (e270), paprika, ostarom (vasslepulver från mjölk, stabiliseringsmedel (e414), maltodextrin, salt)

Additives: E270 Lactic acid , E330 Citric acid , E414 Acacia gum

As written on the pack

Hackade tomater 48%, tomatjuice, tomatpuré, ricotta 12% (vasslepulver från mjölk, mjölk, salt, surhetsreglerande medel (E330)), Parmigiano-Reggiano 3% (mjölk, salt, löpe), basilika, rödlök, extra virgin olivolja 1%, salt, socker, surhetsreglerande medel (E270), paprikapulver, ostarom (vasslepulver från mjölk, stabiliseringsmedel (E414), maltodextrin, salt).

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.

  • E414 Acacia gum Gum arabic (acacia gum) is the hardened sap of acacia trees, used to stabilise flavour emulsions in soft drinks and to coat sweets.

Substances rarely used in home kitchens

Refined or extracted in factories, such as syrups made from starch or isolated proteins. The other hallmark of ultra-processed food.

  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
  • Whey Whey is the liquid left over from cheese making, usually dried into a powder and used as a cheap source of milk solids, protein and lactose.
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.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 442 tomato sauces

From least to most processed, this one ranks 425th. 40% of the tomato sauces 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 442 tomato sauces, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 7318690018834, 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.