Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Pieminister Free range chicken & ham pie ultra-processed?

270 g Pies Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Pieminister Free range chicken & ham pie

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:

  • 46 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed pies

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

Wheat flour (with calcium, iron, niacin, thiamine), British free range chicken 19%, water, leek 7%, double cream, ham 5% (British free range pork leg, salt, preservatives (potassium nitrate, sodium nitrite)), onion, butter, Cheddar cheese, white wine, segregated sustainable palm oil, cornflour, shea oil, coconut oil, garlic, vegetable fibre, milk, mustard (water, mustard seeds, spirit vinegar, salt, white wine vinegar, sugar, spices), maltodextrin, salt, free range egg, sunflower oil, natural flavouring, potato starch, sugar, black pepper, dried onion, rapeseed oil, thyme, yeast

Additives: E250 Sodium nitrite , E252 Potassium nitrate

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: Vegetable fat.

As written on the pack

Wheat flour (with calcium, iron, niacin, thiamine), British free range chicken (19%), water, leek (7%), double cream, ham (5%) (British free range pork leg, salt, preservatives (potassium nitrate, sodium nitrite)), onion, butter, Cheddar cheese, white wine, segregated sustainable palm oil, cornflour, shea oil, coconut oil, garlic, vegetable fibre, milk, wholegrain mustard (water, mustard seeds, spirit vinegar, salt, white wine vinegar, sugar, spices), maltodextrin, salt, free range egg, sunflower oil, natural flavouring, potato starch, sugar, black pepper, dried onion, rapeseed oil, thyme, yeast. For allergens including cereals containing gluten, see ingredients in bold.

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.

  • 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.

  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
  • 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.
10 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.
  • E252 Potassium nitrate 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.
  • Butter Butter, the fat churned from cream.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • 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 fat Vegetable fats are oils that are solid at room temperature, such as palm or coconut fat.
  • 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 101 pies

From least to most processed, this one ranks 52nd. 76% of the pies 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 101 pies, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5060095861554, 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.