Is Morrisons Hampshire dry cured roasted ham ultra-processed?

Hams Sold in the United Kingdom

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

E326 Potassium lactate

10 ingredients
4 additives

Less processed hams

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

Pork, Preservatives (processing marker) (potassium lactate (ultra-processing marker), sodium acetates, sodium nitrite (processing marker)), Salt (processing marker), Demerara sugar (processing marker), Sugar (processing marker), Antioxidant (sodium ascorbate)

Additives: E250 Sodium nitrite , E262 Sodium acetates , E301 Sodium ascorbate , E326 Potassium lactate

As written on the pack

Pork, Preservatives (potassium lactate, sodium acetates, sodium nitrite), Salt, Demerara sugar, Sugar, Antioxidant (sodium ascorbate)

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.

E326 Potassium lactate Antioxidants are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by oxidation, such as fat rancidity and colour changes.

5 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.
Prepared meats Products in the category "Prepared meats" are at least group 3.
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 223 hams

From least to most processed, this one ranks 122nd. 65% of the hams 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 223 hams, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5010251889731, last edited 8 September 2023), 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.
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.