Is Old El Paso Thick 'n' Chunky Salsa ultra-processed?

226 g Dips 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:

Firming agent
Flavouring

17 ingredients
2 additives
Nutri-Score B

Less processed dips

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

chopped tomatoes 64%, onions 17%, green peppers 11%, tomato paste, salt (processing marker), vinegar, sugar (processing marker), lemon juice concentrate, chili pepper 0.4%, jalapeño, garlic, natural flavouring (ultra-processing marker), acidity regulator (citric acid), firming agent (ultra-processing marker) (calcium chloride), modified com starch

Additives: E330 Citric acid , E509 Calcium chloride

As written on the pack

chopped tomatoes (64%), onions (17%), green peppers (11%), tomato paste, salt, vinegar, sugar, lemon juice concentrate, chili pepper (0.4%), dried jalapeño, garlic powder, natural flavouring, acidity regulator (citric acid), firming agent (calcium chloride), modified com starch.

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.

Firming agent Firming agents keep fruit and vegetable tissue crisp or firm through processing and storage.
Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

2 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.

Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 433 dips

From least to most processed, this one ranks 343rd. 43% of the dips 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 433 dips, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0046000283241, last edited 27 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 B (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.