Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Sainsbury's Smooth Brussels Pâté ultra-processed?

170g Pork Pâtés Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Sainsbury's Smooth Brussels Pâté

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:

  • 26 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed pork Pâtés

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 Liver 32%, Pork Fat, Water, Pork 12%, Rice Starch, Onion, Pork Rind, Salt, Free Range Egg, Preservatives (Potassium Lactate, Sodium Nitrite), Dextrose, Cows' Milk Protein, Gelling Agent (Locust Bean Gum), Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid), Pepper Extract, Coriander, Nutmeg, Cardamom, Ginger Extract, Paprika Extract, Cinnamon, Chilli

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E250 Sodium nitrite , E300 Ascorbic acid , E326 Potassium lactate

As written on the pack

Pork Liver 32%, Pork Fat, Water, Pork 12%, Rice Starch, Onion, Pork Rind, Salt, Pasteurised Free Range Egg, Preservatives (Potassium Lactate, Sodium Nitrite), Dextrose, Cows' Milk Protein, Gelling Agent (Locust Bean Gum) Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid), Pepper Extract, Coriander Extract, Nutmeg Extract, Cardamom Extract, Ginger Extract, Paprika Extract, Cinnamon Extract, Chilli Extract.

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.
  • 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.
  • Gelling agent Gelling agents such as pectin, gelatine or carrageenan set liquids into gels and stabilise textures.

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.
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.

  • 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.
  • Prepared meats Products in the category "Prepared meats" are at least group 3.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 24 pork Pâtés

From least to most processed, this one ranks 19th. 92% of the pork Pâtés 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 24 pork Pâtés, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00405768, 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 E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.