Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Sainsbury's Trio of Olives ultra-processed?

Olives Sold in the United Kingdom

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:

  • 19 ingredients
  • 6 additives

Less processed olives

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

Mixed Olives 99% (Green Olives, Black Olives, Salt, Pimento Paste (Water, Pimento, Guar Gum, Calcium Chloride, Paprika, Sodium Alginate), Citric Acid, Lactic Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Ferrous Gluconate), Vegetable Oil (Rapeseed Vegetable Oil, Sunflower Vegetable Oil), Parsley

Additives: E270 Lactic acid , E300 Ascorbic acid , E330 Citric acid , E412 Guar gum , E509 Calcium chloride , E579 Iron gluconate

As written on the pack

Mixed Olives (99%) (Green Olives, Black Olives, Salt, Pimento Paste (Water, Pimento, Thickener: Guar Gum; Firming Agent: Calcium Chloride, Paprika, Stabiliser: Sodium Alginate) Acidity Regulators: Citric Acid, Lactic Acid, Antioxidant: Ascorbic Acid; Stabiliser: Ferrous Gluconate), Vegetable Oil (Rapeseed, Sunflower), Parsley

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.

  • E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.
2 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.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 123 olives

From least to most processed, this one ranks 114th. 11% of the olives 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 123 olives, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00276412, last edited 8 August 2026), available under the Open Database License. If something is wrong or the recipe has changed, you can correct it there.
  • The NOVA group is an automated estimate from crowdsourced data: a missing or mistyped ingredient can change it.
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.