Is Sainsbury's British wafer thin ham ultra-processed?

Hams Sold in the United Kingdom and France

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

E326 Potassium lactate
E451 Triphosphates

10 ingredients
4 additives
Nutri-Score A

Less processed hams

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

pork 83%, water, honey (processing marker) 4.5%, salt (processing marker), preservatives (processing marker) (potassium lactate (ultra-processing marker)), sodium acetate, sodium nite dextrose, stabilisers (triphosphates (ultra-processing marker))

Additives: E262 Sodium acetates , E262i Sodium acetate , E326 Potassium lactate , E451 Triphosphates

As written on the pack

pork (83%), water, honey (4.5%), salt, preservatives: potassium lactate, sodium acetate, sodium nite dextrose, stabilisers: triphosphates

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.

E326 Potassium lactate Antioxidants are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by oxidation, such as fat rancidity and colour changes.
E451 Triphosphates Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.

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.

Prepared meats Products in the category "Prepared meats" are at least group 3.
Honey Honey, used as a sweetener.
Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 223 hams

From least to most processed, this one ranks 142nd. 65% of the hams 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 223 hams, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 01687699, 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 A (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.