Is Sainsbury's Spicy etruscan pepperoni roquito chilli peppers ultra-processed?

Pizzas Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Sainsbury's Spicy etruscan pepperoni roquito chilli peppers

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:

  • 45 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed pizzas

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

Fortified Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Tomatoes 16%, Water, Mozzarella Cheese (processing marker) (Cows' Milk), Bocconcini Mozzarella Balls (Cows' Milk), Etruscan Pepperoni 8% (Pork, Pork Fat, Salt (processing marker), Red Chilli, Dextrose (ultra-processing marker), Chilli, White Pepper, Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid), Black Pepper, Star Anise, Fennel Seed, Preservative (processing marker) (Potassium Nitrate (processing marker)), Sodium Nitrite (processing marker)), Roquito@ Chilli Peppers 3% (Pepper, Water, Sugar (processing marker), Spirit Vinegar), Semolina (Wheat), Wheat Flour, Extra Virgin Olive Oil (processing marker), Tomato Puree, Salt (processing marker), Basil, Yeast, Wheat Starch (processing marker), Black Pepper, Malted Wheat Flour, Sunflower Oil (processing marker)

Additives: E250 Sodium nitrite , E252 Potassium nitrate , E300 Ascorbic acid

As written on the pack

Fortified Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Tomatoes (16%), Water, Mozzarella Cheese (Cows' Milk) (13%), Bocconcini Mozzarella Balls (Cows' Milk) (8%), Etruscan Pepperoni (8%) (Pork, Pork Fat, Salt, Red Chilli, Dextrose, Chilli Extract, White Pepper, Antioxidant: Ascorbic Acid; Black Pepper, Star Anise, Fennel Seed, Preservative: Potassium Nitrate, Sodium Nitrite), Roquito@ Chilli Peppers (3%) (Pepper, Water, Sugar, Spirit Vinegar), Semolina (Wheat), Wheat Flour, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Tomato Puree, Salt, Basil, Yeast, Wheat Starch, Black Pepper, Malted Wheat Flour, Sunflower Oil.

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.
9 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.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • 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.
  • 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 371 pizzas

From least to most processed, this one ranks 196th. 78% of the pizzas 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 371 pizzas, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00255783, last edited 9 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.