Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Sainsbury's Spaghetti Rings ultra-processed?

400g Pastas Sold in the United Kingdom and Ireland

Pack of Sainsbury's Spaghetti Rings

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:

  • 20 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score A

Less processed pastas

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

Tomatoes 49%, Cooked Spaghetti Rings 43% (Water, Durum Wheat Semolina), Sugar, Water, Modified Maize Starch, Onion, Salt, Fortified Wheat Flour Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin, Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid Rapeseed Oil), Paprika, Paprika Extract, Yeast Extract, Flavouring

Additives: E160c Paprika extract

As written on the pack

Tomatoes (49%), Cooked Spaghetti Rings (43%) (Water, Durum Wheat Semolina) Sugar, Water, Modified Maize Starch, Onion Powder, Salt, Fortified Wheat Flour Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Acidity Regulator: Citric Acid Rapeseed Oil, Paprika, Paprika Extract, Yeast Extract, Flavouring

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.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.
3 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.

  • 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 999 pastas

From least to most processed, this one ranks 710th. 51% of the pastas 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 999 pastas, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00101042, 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.