Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Sainsbury's 10 beef stock cubes ultra-processed?

Dehydrated broths Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Sainsbury's 10 beef stock cubes

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:

  • 15 ingredients
  • 2 additives

Less processed dehydrated broths

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

Salt, Palm Oil, Corn Starch, Yeast Extract, Flavourings (Celery, Cows' Milk), Maltodextrin, Beef Extract 3%, Plain Caramel, Sugar, Onion Powder, Carrot Powder, Parsley, Rosemary Extracts

Additives: E150a Plain caramel , E392 Extracts of rosemary

As written on the pack

Salt, Palm Oil, Corn Starch, Yeast Extract, Flavourings (Celery, Cows' Milk), Maltodextrin, Beef Extract (3%), Colour: Plain Caramel; Sugar, Onion Powder, Carrot Powder, Parsley, Antioxidant: Rosemary Extracts.

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.

  • E150a Plain caramel Plain caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars.
  • 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.
3 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 110 dehydrated broths

From least to most processed, this one ranks 82nd. 73% of the dehydrated broths 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 110 dehydrated broths, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 01787542, last edited 30 September 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.