Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Select & Go Prawn Layered Pasta Salad ultra-processed?

Prepared salads 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:

  • 37 ingredients
  • 8 additives
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed prepared salads

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

Marie Cucum MS Iceberg Lettuce, H% Peeled Water 14% Marie Rose uce (Water, Rapese ato Con Mater, Sugar, Modified Potato Starch, Spirit Vinegar Acidity Regulator Acetic Acid, Egg Yolk, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Salt, Worcestershire Sauce Water, Sugar, Spirit Vinegar, Molasses, Onion, Salt, Tamarind Faste Cloves, Ginger, Garlic Puréel, Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Mustard Seeds, Stabilisers (Xanthan Gum), Guar Gum, Preservatives (Potassium Sorbate), Sodium Benzoate, Colours (Ammonia Caramel), Lutein, Spices, Red Pepper, Onion, Herbs), Paprika, including Cereals containing Gluten

Additives: E150c Ammonia caramel , E161b Lutein , E202 Potassium sorbate , E211 Sodium benzoate , E260 Acetic acid , E330 Citric acid , E412 Guar gum , E415 Xanthan gum

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E150c Ammonia caramel.

As written on the pack

Marie Cucum MS Iceberg Lettuce, H% Peeled Water 14% Marie Rose uce (Water, Rapese ato Con Mater (Crustaceans) Sugar, Modified Potato Starch, Spirit Vinegar Acidity Regulator Acetic Acid; Egg Yolk, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Salt, Worcestershire Sauce Water, Sugar, Spirit Vinegar, Molasses, Onion Purée, Salt, Tamarind Faste Cloves, Ginger Purée, Garlic Puréel. Acidity Regulator: Citric Acid, Mustard Seeds, Stabilisers: Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum; Preservatives: Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate; Colours: Ammonia Caramel, Lutein; Spices, Red Pepper Powder, Onion Powder, Herbs), Paprika. Allergy Advice: For allergens, including Cereals containing Gluten, see ingredients in bold.

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.

  • E150c Ammonia caramel Ammonia caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars with ammonia compounds.
  • E161b Lutein Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
  • E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.
  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • 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.
6 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.

  • E202 Potassium sorbate 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 224 prepared salads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 211th. 60% of the prepared salads 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 224 prepared salads, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4056489902119, last edited 19 May 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.