Is M&S Bolognese Pasta Sauce ultra-processed?

340g Bolognese sauces Sold in the United Kingdom and Germany

It's processed, but not ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Whole foods combined with:

Salt
Vegetable oil

13 ingredients
1 additive
Nutri-Score B

Less processed pasta 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

Tomatoes 63%, Minced Beef 15%, Carrots, Minced Pork 5%, Celery, Onions, Tomato Paste, Extra Virgin Olive Oil (processing marker), Sea Salt (processing marker), Garlic, Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Black Pepper

Additives: E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

Tomatoes (63%), Minced Beef (15%), Carrots, Minced Pork (5%), Celery, Onions, Tomato Paste, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Garlic, Acidity Regulator: Citric Acid, Ground Black Pepper.

What makes it processed

Culinary ingredients

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.
Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 32 bolognese sauces

From least to most processed, this one ranks 15th. 50% of the bolognese 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 32 bolognese sauces, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00670272, last edited 25 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 B (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.