Is Inspired To Cook by Sainsbury's Harissa Paste ultra-processed?

90g Harissa sauces Sold in the United Kingdom

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Colour
E160c Paprika extract

19 ingredients
1 additive
Nutri-Score C

Less processed harissa 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

Red Pepper 62%, Rapeseed Oil, Onion, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (Red Wine Vinegar, Grape Must), Red Chilli Puree 2.5%, Red Bell Pepper 2%, Smoked Paprika, Garlic Purée, Chilli, Salt (processing marker), Colour (ultra-processing marker) (Paprika Extract (ultra-processing marker)), Coriander, Cumin, Caraway Seed, Clove

Additives: E160c Paprika extract

As written on the pack

Red Pepper (62%), Rapeseed Oil, Onion Purée, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (Red Wine Vinegar, Grape Must), Red Chilli Puree (2.5%), Dried Red Bell Pepper (2.0%), Smoked Paprika, Garlic Purée, Dried Chilli Flakes, Salt, Colour: Paprika Extract, Coriander Powder, Cumin Powder, Caraway Seed, Clove Powder. Suitable for vegans.

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.

E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.

1 ingredient 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 17 harissa sauces

From least to most processed, this one ranks 14th. 65% of the harissa 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 17 harissa sauces, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 01710083, last edited 27 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 C (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.