Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Oregon Creamy basil pesto ultra-processed?

14.5 oz Pestos Sold in the United States

Pack of Oregon Creamy basil pesto

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:

  • 23 ingredients
  • 5 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed pestos

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

Water, cream, modified food starch, enzyme modified egg yolks, soybean oil, canola oil, Romano cheese, flavoring, disodium phosphate, xanthan gum, yeast extract, beta carotene, salt, enzymes, basil, sugar, garlic, spices, lactic acid, and juice (huito, watermelon), for color

Additives: E160a Carotene , E160ai Beta-carotene , E270 Lactic acid , E339ii Disodium phosphate , E415 Xanthan gum

As written on the pack

Water, cream, modified food starch, enzyme modified egg yolks, soybean oil and/or canola oil, Romano cheese, flavoring, disodium phosphate, xanthan gum, yeast extract, beta carotene, salt, enzymes, basil, sugar, garlic, spices, lactic acid, and juice concentrates (huito and watermelon) for color.

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.
  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.
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.

  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • 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 134 pestos

From least to most processed, this one ranks 132nd. 51% of the pestos 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 134 pestos, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0051000289483, last edited 21 July 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 D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.