Is it ultra-processed?
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Is ICA Spaghetti Carbonara ultra-processed?

360 g Carbonara-style pasta Sold in Sweden

Pack of ICA Spaghetti Carbonara

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:

  • 48 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed carbonara-style pasta

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

Kokt pasta spaghetti 50% (vatten, durumvetemjöl, rapsolja, salt, vinäger), carbonarasås 42%, grädde, mjölk, vatten, bacon 15% (sidfläsk av gris, salt, druvsocker, antioxidationsmedel (e301, e331), kryddextrakt (rosmarin), konserveringsmedel (e250)), lök, majsstärkelse, rapsolja, grönsaksbuljong (morot, purjolök, lök, vitlök, vitvinsextrakt, salt, solrosolja, kryddextrakt (timjan, lagerblad, kryddnejlika)), svartpeppar, bacon 8% (sidfläsk av gris, salt, druvsocker, antioxidationsmedel (e301, e331), kryddextrakt (rosmarin), konserveringsmedel (e250))

Additives: E250 Sodium nitrite , E301 Sodium ascorbate , E331 Sodium citrates

As written on the pack

Kokt pasta spaghetti 50 % (vatten, durumvetemjöl, rapsolja, salt, vinäger), carbonarasås 42 % (grädde, mjölk, vatten, bacon 15 % (sidfläsk av gris, salt, druvsocker, antioxidationsmedel (E301, E331), kryddextrakt (rosmarin), konserveringsmedel (E250)), lök, majsstärkelse, rapsolja, grönsaksbuljong (morot, purjolök, lök, vitlök, vitvinsextrakt, salt, solrosolja, kryddextrakt (timjan, lagerblad, kryddnejlika)), svartpeppar), bacon 8 % (sidfläsk av gris, salt, druvsocker, antioxidationsmedel (E301, E331), kryddextrakt (rosmarin), konserveringsmedel (E250)).

What makes it ultra-processed

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.

  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
6 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.

  • E250 Sodium nitrite 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.
  • Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 11 carbonara-style pasta

From least to most processed, this one ranks 6th. 55% of the carbonara-style pasta 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 11 carbonara-style pasta, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 7318690172017, 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 D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.