Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Sainsburys Roasted Vegetable Couscous ultra-processed?

110g Prepared couscous Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Sainsburys Roasted Vegetable Couscous

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:

  • 29 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed prepared couscous

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

Couscous 86% (Durum Wheat Semolina), Dried Vegetables 4% (Tomato, Red Pepper, Green Pepper, Mushroom), Palm Oil, Tomato, Flavourings (Barley), Sugar, Maltodextrin, Red Pepper, Maize Starch, Red and Yellow Pepper, Salt, Onion, Dried Garlic, Lactose (Cows' Milk), Herbs (Parsley, Oregano, Basil), Colour (Paprika Extract), Sodium Caseinate (Cows' Milk)

Additives: E160c Paprika extract

As written on the pack

Couscous 86% (Durum Wheat Semolina), Dried Vegetables 4% (Tomato, Red Pepper, Green Pepper, Mushroom), Palm Oil, Tomato Powder, Flavourings (Barley), Sugar, Maltodextrin, Red Pepper Powder, Maize Starch, Grilled Red and Yellow Pepper, Salt, Onion Powder, Dried Garlic, Lactose (Cows' Milk), Dried Herbs (Parsley, Oregano, Basil), Colour (Paprika Extract), Sodium Caseinate (Cows' Milk).

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.

  • E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
  • 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.

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.

  • Lactose Lactose is milk sugar, crystallised industrially from whey, a by-product of cheese making.
  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
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.

  • Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
  • 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 16 prepared couscous

From least to most processed, this one ranks 14th. 69% of the prepared couscous 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 16 prepared couscous, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00308519, last edited 19 April 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.