Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Sainsbury's Apple and blackcurrant squash ultra-processed?

Blackcurrant soft drinks Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Sainsbury's Apple and blackcurrant squash

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:

  • 16 ingredients
  • 7 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed fruit sodas

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, Apple Juice from Concentrate 39.5%, Acid (Citric Acid), Acidity Regulator (Sodium Citrate), Flavourings, Blackcurrant Juice from Concentrate 0.5%, Sweeteners (Acesulfame K), Sucralose, Colour (Anthocyanins), Preservatives (Potassium Sorbate), Sodium Metabisulphite

Additives: E163 Anthocyanins , E202 Potassium sorbate , E223 Sodium metabisulphite , E330 Citric acid , E331 Sodium citrates , E950 Acesulfame k , E955 Sucralose

As written on the pack

Water, Apple Juice from Concentrate (39.5%), Acid: Citric Acid; Acidity Regulator: Sodium Citrate; Flavourings, Blackcurrant Juice from Concentrate (0.5%), Sweeteners: Acesulfame K, Sucralose; Colour: Anthocyanins; Preservatives: Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Metabisulphite (Sulphites).

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.

  • E163 Anthocyanins Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
  • E950 Acesulfame k Acesulfame K is a synthetic sweetener about 200 times sweeter than sugar, often combined with aspartame or sucralose.
  • E955 Sucralose Sucralose is a sweetener made by chlorinating sugar.
  • 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.
  • Sweetener Sweeteners give sweetness with few or no calories, many at hundreds of times the strength of sugar.
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.

  • E202 Potassium sorbate 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.
  • Sodas Products in the category "Sodas" are at least group 3.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 9 blackcurrant soft drinks

From least to most processed, this one ranks 7th. 100% of the blackcurrant soft drinks 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 9 blackcurrant soft drinks, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00464741, last edited 5 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.