Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Sharwoods Black bean and red pepper ultra-processed?

425gr Cooking Sauces Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Sharwoods Black bean and red pepper

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:

  • 38 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • 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, Red Pepper 16%, Onion, Black Beans 5% (Black Beans, Water, Salt), Salt, Sugar, Modified Maize Starch, Barley Malt Vinegar, Light Soy Sauce, Soy (Water, Salt, Soya Beans, Wheat Flour (with added Calcium, Folic Acid, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin)), Barley Malt Extract, Spirit Vinegar, Salt, Sugar, Garlic Purée, Ginger, Toasted Sesame Oil, Vegetable Bouillon (Salt, Yeast, Leek, Sugar, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Flavouring), Lactic Acid

Additives: E270 Lactic acid

As written on the pack

Water, Red Pepper (16%), Onion, Fermented Black Beans (5%) ((Black Beans (Soya), Water, Salt), Salt), Sugar, Modified Maize Starch, Barley Malt Vinegar, Light Soy Sauce (Soy Extract (Water, Salt, Soya Beans, Wheat Flour (with added Calcium, Folic Acid, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin)), Barley Malt Extract, Spirit Vinegar, Salt, Sugar), Garlic Purée, Ginger Purée, Toasted Sesame Oil, Vegetable Bouillon (Salt, Dried Yeast Extract (contains Barley, Wheat), Leek Powder, Sugar, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Flavouring), Acidity Regulator (Lactic Acid).

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.

  • 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.
5 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.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 36 cooking Sauces

From least to most processed, this one ranks 24th. 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 5000197156707, 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.
  • 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.