Is Sainsbury's Red Pesto ultra-processed?

190g Red pestos Sold in the United Kingdom

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Vegetable fiber

26 ingredients
3 additives
Nutri-Score C

Less processed red 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

Tomato Paste 41%, Sunflower Oil (processing marker), Sundried Tomatoes 8%, Tomato Purée 6%, Basil 5%, Red Peppers, Grana Padano Cheese (processing marker) 2% (Grana Padano Cheese (Cows' Milk), Preservative (processing marker) (Egg Lysozyme)), Cashew Nuts, Salt (processing marker), Pecorino Romano Cheese (processing marker) (Sheep's Milk), Carrots, Pine Nuts, Extra Virgin Olive Oil (processing marker), Acidity Regulator (Lactic Acid), Paprika Powder, Pea Fibre (ultra-processing marker), Sugar (processing marker), Garlic, Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid)

Additives: E1105 Lysozyme , E270 Lactic acid , E300 Ascorbic acid

As written on the pack

Tomato Paste (41%), Sunflower Oil, Rehydrated Sundried Tomatoes (8%), Tomato Purée (6%), Basil (5%), Red Peppers, Grana Padano Cheese (2%) (Grana Padano Cheese (Cows' Milk), Preservative: Egg Lysozyme), Cashew Nuts, Salt, Pecorino Romano Cheese (Sheep's Milk) (1%), Carrots, Pine Nuts, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Acidity Regulator: Lactic Acid, Paprika Powder, Pea Fibre, Sugar, Garlic Powder, Antioxidant: Ascorbic 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.

Vegetable fiber Isolated plant fibres, such as inulin, oat fibre or bamboo fibre, are extracted industrially and added to change texture or support "source of fibre" claims.

5 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.

Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
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 26 red pestos

From least to most processed, this one ranks 21st. 42% of the red 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 26 red pestos, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00433228, last edited 11 May 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.