Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Mattessons Turkey Rashers ultra-processed?

150 g Turkeys Sold in the United Kingdom

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:

  • 14 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score A

Less processed turkeys

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

was Mattessons Low Fat High in Protein 29 Calories Per Slice* Unsmoked turkey rashers with added water, Turkey 84%, Water, Salt, Flavourings, Sugar, Dextrose, Stabiliser (Sodium Tripolyphosphate), Yeast Extract, Preservative (Sodium Nitrite), Pepper, TRAY Recycle FILM Don't Recycle

Additives: E250 Sodium nitrite , E452 Polyphosphates , E452vi Sodium tripolyphosphate

As written on the pack

was Mattessons Low Fat High in Protein 29 Calories Per Slice* Unsmoked turkey rashers with added water. Turkey (84%), Water, Salt, Flavourings, Sugar, Dextrose, Stabiliser (Sodium Tripolyphosphate), Yeast Extract, Preservative (Sodium Nitrite), Pepper. TRAY Recycle FILM Don't Recycle

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.

  • E452 Polyphosphates 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.
  • 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.
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.

  • E250 Sodium nitrite 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 66 turkeys

From least to most processed, this one ranks 54th. 61% of the turkeys 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 66 turkeys, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000342001005, last edited 2 June 2026), available under the Open Database License. If something is wrong or the recipe has changed, you can correct it there.
  • 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 A (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.