Is Sainsburys Lasagne ultra-processed?

400g Prepared lasagne Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Sainsburys Lasagne

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:

  • 63 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed prepared lasagne

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

British Beef 28%, Cooked Lasagne Pasta (Durum Wheat Semolina, Water, Egg), Water, Cows' Milk, Tomato, Tomato Purée, Chianti Red Wine 4%, Tomato Passata, Onion, Mushroom, Cows' Milk, Carrot, Smoked Pancetta Bacon 2% (Pork Belly, Salt (processing marker), Dextrose (ultra-processing marker), Black Pepper, Garlic Extract, Coriander, Nutmeg, Preservatives (processing marker) (Sodium Nitrite (processing marker)), Potassium Nitrate (processing marker), Antioxidant (Sodium Ascorbate)), Cornflour, Parmigiano Reggiano D.O.P Cheese 2% (Cows' Milk), Single Cream (Cows' Milk), Garlic Purée, Fortified Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Beef Stock (Water, Beef Extract, Salt (processing marker), Yeast Extract), Butter (processing marker) (Cows' Milk), Wheat Flour, Sugar (processing marker), Balsamic Vinegar (Balsamic Vinegar, Grape Must), Grana Padano Cheese (processing marker) (Cows' Milk, Preservative (processing marker) (Lysozyme)), Salt (processing marker), Oregano, Rosemary, Black Pepper, Porcini Mushroom, White Pepper, Bay Leaf

Additives: E1105 Lysozyme , E250 Sodium nitrite , E252 Potassium nitrate , E301 Sodium ascorbate

As written on the pack

British Beef (28%), Cooked Lasagne Pasta (Durum Wheat Semolina, Water, Egg), Water, Skimmed Cows' Milk, Tomato, Tomato Purée, Chianti Red Wine (4%), Tomato Passata, Onion, Mushroom, Whole Cows' Milk, Carrot, Smoked Pancetta Bacon (2%) (Pork Belly, Salt, Dextrose, Black Pepper, Garlic Extract, Coriander Extract, Nutmeg Extract, Preservatives: Sodium Nitrite, Potassium Nitrate; Antioxidant: Sodium Ascorbate), Cornflour, Parmigiano Reggiano D.O.P Cheese (2%) (Unpasteurised Cows' Milk), Single Cream (Cows' Milk), Garlic Purée, Fortified Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Beef Stock (Water, Beef Extract, Salt, Yeast Extract), Butter (Cows' Milk), Wheat Flour, Sugar, Balsamic Vinegar (Balsamic Vinegar, Grape Must Concentrate), Grana Padano Cheese (Unpasteurised Cows' Milk, Preservative: Lysozyme (Egg)), Salt, Oregano, Rosemary, Black Pepper, Porcini Mushroom Powder, White Pepper, Bay Leaf.

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.

  • Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
8 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.

  • E250 Sodium nitrite 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.
  • E252 Potassium 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.
  • Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
  • Butter Butter, the fat churned from cream.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 66 prepared lasagne

From least to most processed, this one ranks 46th. 70% of the prepared lasagne 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 66 prepared lasagne, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00461634, last edited 27 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.