Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Kirsty's Lentil Cottage Pie ultra-processed?

400 g Salted pies Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Kirsty's Lentil Cottage Pie

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:

  • 37 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed salted pies

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

Vegetable 50%, Lentil Sauce 50% (Water, Carrots, Swede, Mushrooms, Tomato (Tomatoes, Tomato Juice, Citric Acid), Leeks, Onion, Dark Speckled Lentils 2%, Tomato Purée, Mushroom Stock (Mushroom (Mushroom, Water, Mushroom Powder), Salt, Cornflour), Cornflour, Rapeseed Oil, Garlic Purée, Agave Syrup, Caramel Paste (Glucose Syrup, Water), Thyme, Sage, Black Pepper), Root Vegetable Mash 50% (Sweet Potato 45%, Potato 39%, Carrot 15%, Salt, White Pepper)

Additives: E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

Vegetable & Lentil Sauce (50%) (Water, Carrots, Swede, Mushrooms, Tomato Chopped (Tomatoes, Tomato Juice, Citric Acid), Leeks, Onion, Dark Speckled Lentils (2%), Tomato Purée, Mushroom Stock [Rehydrated Mushroom (Mushroom Concentrate, Water, Mushroom Powder), Salt, Cornflour], Cornflour, Rapeseed Oil, Garlic Purée, Agave Syrup, Caramel Paste (Glucose Syrup, Water), Thyme Dried, Sage Dried, Black Pepper Ground). Root Vegetable Mash (50%) (Sweet Potato 45%, Potato 39%, Carrot 15%, Salt, White Pepper).

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.
  • Glucose syrup Glucose syrup is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
2 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 47 salted pies

From least to most processed, this one ranks 29th. 70% of the salted pies 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 47 salted pies, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5032824020143, last edited 30 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.