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Is John West Italian Tuna Pasta Salad in a basil dressing ultra-processed?

220g Pasta salads Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of John West Italian Tuna Pasta Salad in a basil 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:

  • 21 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed pasta salads

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

Pasta (Water, Durum Wheat Semolina, Egg White Powder), Skipjack Tuna, Tomatoes 15%, Yellow Peppers 13%, Grilled Aubergines 10%, Onions 9%, Sunflower Oil, Spirit Vinegar, Garlic, Salt, Red Chilli Puree, Provençal Herbs, Basil, Modified Corn Starch, Dried Onions, Guar Gum, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Natural Basil Flavouring

Additives: E412 Guar gum

As written on the pack

Pasta (Water, Durum Wheat Semolina, Egg White Powder) (25%), Skipjack Tuna (Fish) (18%), Tomatoes (15%), Yellow Peppers (13%), Grilled Aubergines (10%), Onions (9%), Sunflower Oil, Spirit Vinegar, Garlic, Salt, Red Chilli Puree, Provençal Herbs, Basil, Modified Corn Starch, Dried Onions, Thickener: Guar Gum, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Natural Basil Flavouring

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.

  • E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.
  • 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.

  • Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
  • 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 42 pasta salads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 27th. 60% of the pasta salads 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 42 pasta salads, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000171054449, last edited 3 October 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.