Is it ultra-processed?
Menu

Is Linda McCartney's Vegetarian sausages ultra-processed?

450 g Vegetarian sausages Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Linda McCartney's Vegetarian sausages

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:

  • 24 ingredients
  • 6 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed vegetarian sausages

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

textured soya protein 68%, water, rapeseed oil, soya protein, seasoning (dextrose, flavorings, salt, onion, yeast extract, colour, red iron oxide), fortified wheat flour (wheat flour, calcium carbonate, iron, niacin, thiamin), stabiliser (methyl cellulose), tomato puree, salt, raising agent, ammonium carbonates

Additives: E170 Calcium carbonates , E170i Calcium carbonate , E172 Iron oxides and iron hydroxides , E172ii Red iron oxide , E461 Methyl cellulose , E503 Ammonium carbonates

As written on the pack

rehydrated textured soya protein (68%), water, rapeseed oil, soya protein concentrate, seasoning (sulphites) (dextrose, flavorings, salt, onion powder, yeast extract, colour, red iron oxide), fortified wheat flour (wheat flour, calcium carbonate, iron, niacin, thiamin), stabiliser: methyl cellulose, tomato puree, salt, raising agent, ammonium carbonates.

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.

  • E170 Calcium carbonates Calcium carbonate is chalk.
  • E172 Iron oxides and iron hydroxides Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
  • E461 Methyl cellulose Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

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.

  • Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
3 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.

  • Prepared meats Products in the category "Prepared meats" are at least group 3.
  • Sausages Products in the category "Sausages" are at least group 3.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 84 vegetarian sausages

From least to most processed, this one ranks 58th. 96% of the vegetarian sausages 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 84 vegetarian sausages, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5056053306502, 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 D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.