Is it ultra-processed?
Menu

Is Spam Chopped Pork And Ham ultra-processed?

340g Canned meats Sold in the United Kingdom, the United States and 2 more countries

Pack of Spam Chopped Pork And Ham

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:

  • 13 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed canned meats

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

Pork 89%, Salt, Starch, Water, Ham 2%, Sugar, Stabiliser (Trisodium Diphosphate), Flavourings, Antioxidant (Sodium Ascorbate), Preservative (Sodium Nitrite)

Additives: E250 Sodium nitrite , E301 Sodium ascorbate , E450 Diphosphates , E450ii Trisodium diphosphate

As written on the pack

Pork 89%, Salt, Starch, Water, Ham 2%, Sugar, Stabiliser: Trisodium Diphosphate, Flavourings, Antioxidant: Sodium Ascorbate, Preservative: Sodium Nitrite

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.

  • E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
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.

  • 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.
  • 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 39 canned meats

From least to most processed, this one ranks 35th. 56% of the canned meats 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 39 canned meats, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0037600209571, last edited 9 June 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 E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.