Is Princes Corned Beef ultra-processed?

Corned beef Sold in the United Kingdom

It's processed, but not ultra-processed

Whole foods combined with:

Less processed isn't automatically healthier, so compare the labels for what matters to you, such as sugar or salt.

Ultra-processing Processing signs are highlighted

cooked beef 98%, salt (processing marker), sodium nitrate (processing marker)

Additives: E251 Sodium nitrate

As written on the pack

cooked beef 98%, salt, sodium nitrate

Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.

Keep food safe or ferment it, like preservatives and cultures. A sign of processing, not ultra-processing.

E251 Sodium 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.

Open Food Facts puts every product in this category in at least this group.

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

From least to most processed, this one ranks 4th. 6% of the corned beef 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.

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000232893536, last edited 26 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.