Is it ultra-processed?
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Is SAUCE FOR CHILLI CON CARNE by Sainsbury's MILD MAT ultra-processed?

500g Cooking Sauces 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
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed cooking Sauces

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

Water, Tomato Purée 10%, Kidney Beans 8%, Onions, Red Peppers, Modified Maize Starch, Sugar, Salt, Lactic Acid, Garlic Powder, Cumin, Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder, Paprika Extract, Paprika, Coriander, Chilli, Dried Oregano, Parsley, laba691675 ds matur

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E270 Lactic acid

As written on the pack

Water, Tomato Purée (10%), Kidney Beans (8%), Onions, Red Peppers, Modified Maize Starch, Sugar, Salt, Acidity Regulator: Lactic Acid; Garlic Powder, Ground Cumin, Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder, Colour: Paprika Extract; Paprika, Ground Coriander, Chilli Powder, Dried Oregano, Dried Parsley. LABA691675 DS MATUR

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.
  • 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 36 cooking Sauces

From least to most processed, this one ranks 25th. 67% of the cooking Sauces 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 36 cooking Sauces, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 01707649, last edited 18 September 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.
  • 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.