Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Morrisons Spinach & Ricotta Tortelloni ultra-processed?

300g Instant pasta Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Morrisons Spinach & Ricotta Tortelloni

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:

  • 17 ingredients
  • 1 additive

Less processed instant pasta

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

Fresh egg pasta (wheat flour, durum wheat semolina, egg 20%), Ricotta cheese, Potato, Spinach 5%, Whey powder, Sunflower oil, Medium fat hard cheese, Chicory fibre, Salt, Flavouring, Nutmeg, Garlic, Emulsifier (mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids)

Additives: E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

As written on the pack

Fresh egg pasta (wheat flour, durum wheat semolina, egg (20%)), Ricotta cheese (milk) (18%), Potato, Spinach (5%), Whey powder (milk), Sunflower oil, Medium fat hard cheese (milk), Chicory fibre, Salt, Flavouring, Nutmeg, Garlic powder, Emulsifier (mono - and diglycerides of fatty acids).

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.

  • E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
  • Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.
  • 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.

  • Whey Whey is the liquid left over from cheese making, usually dried into a powder and used as a cheap source of milk solids, protein and lactose.
  • Vegetable fiber Isolated plant fibres, such as inulin, oat fibre or bamboo fibre, are extracted industrially and added to change texture or support "source of fibre" claims.
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.

  • Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 43 instant pasta

From least to most processed, this one ranks 35th. 60% of the instant pasta 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 43 instant pasta, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5010251595243, last edited 7 June 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.
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.