Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Marks & Spencers Beef Bolognese Pasta Bake ultra-processed?

800 g Beef dishes Sold in the United Kingdom and France

Pack of Marks & Spencers Beef Bolognese Pasta Bake

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:

  • 28 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed beef dishes

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

Cooked Pasta 39% (Durum Wheat Semolina, Water), Beef 21%, Tomatoes 14%, Whole Milk, Cheddar Cheese, Red Leicester Cheese 3% (Red Leicester Cheese, Colour (Carotenes)), Onions, Carrots, Celery, Tomato Paste, Rapeseed Oil, Red Wine Vinegar, Broad Bean Flour, Cornflour, Salt, Garlic Purée, Mature Cheddar Cheese, Oregano, Coarse Ground Black Pepper, Rosemary, White Pepper, Bay Leaves, Nutmeg

Additives: E160a Carotene

As written on the pack

Cooked Pasta (39%) ( Durum Wheat Semolina (contains Gluten). Water), Beef (21%), Tomatoes (14%), Whole Milk, Cheddar Cheese (Milk) (3%), Red Leicester Cheese (3%) (Red Leicester Cheese (Milk) Colour: Carotenes), Onions, Carrots, Celery, Tomato Paste, Rapeseed Oil, Red Wine Vinegar, Broad Bean Flour, Cornflour, Salt, Garlic Purée, Mature Cheddar Cheese (Milk), Oregano, Coarse Ground Black Pepper, Rosemary, Ground White Pepper, Ground Bay Leaves, Ground Nutmeg.

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.

  • E160a Carotene Carotenes are orange-yellow pigments, either synthesised or extracted from carrots, algae or palm oil.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
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.

  • Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 69 beef dishes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 50th. 55% of the beef dishes 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 69 beef dishes, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00489867, last edited 20 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.