Is Rao's Homemade Basil Pesto ultra-processed?

Green pestos Sold in the United States

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Glucose
Glucose syrup

15 ingredients
1 additive
Nutri-Score E

Less processed green 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

Basil, sunflower oil (processing marker), hard cheese (processing marker) (cow's milk, enzymes, salt (processing marker)), cashews, sea salt (processing marker), sugar (processing marker), potato flakes (potatoes), pine nuts, dried glucose syrup (ultra-processing marker), garlic, lactic acid

Additives: E270 Lactic acid

As written on the pack

Basil, sunflower oil, hard grated cheese (cow's milk, enzymes, salt), cashews, sea salt, sugar, potato flakes (potatoes), pine nuts, dried glucose syrup, garlic, lactic acid.

What makes it ultra-processed

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.

Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
Glucose syrup Glucose syrup is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.

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.

Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
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 79 green pestos

From least to most processed, this one ranks 61st. 49% of the green 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 79 green pestos, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0747479000154, last edited 8 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.
NOVA measures processing, not nutrition. For nutrition, Open Food Facts gives this product a Nutri-Score of E (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.