Is it ultra-processed?
Menu

Is Marks & Spencer Tomato Ketchup ultra-processed?

495g Ketchup Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Marks & Spencer Tomato Ketchup

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:

  • 12 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed ketchup

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

Tomato Paste 37%, Sugar, Water, Vinegar, Salt, Preservative (e202, Paprika, Dried Onions Dried Garlic, White Pepper, Ground Cloves, Flavouring)

Additives: E202 Potassium sorbate

As written on the pack

Tomato Paste (37%) Sugar. Water. Vinegar. Salt. Preservative: E202. Ground Paprika. Dried Onions Dried Garlic. Ground White Pepper. Ground Cloves. 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.

  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
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.

  • E202 Potassium sorbate Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 157 ketchup

From least to most processed, this one ranks 109th. 54% of the ketchup 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 157 ketchup, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00819589, last edited 26 July 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.