Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Specially Selected Aldi Brandy Mincemeat ultra-processed?

Pastry helpers 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:

  • 27 ingredients
  • 3 additives

Less processed pastry helpers

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

sugar, currants 16%, apple, raisins 7%, apricot purée 6%, brandy 6%, sultanas 6%, glucose-fructose syrup, candied mixed citrus peel 4.5% (orange peel, glucose-fructose syrup, lemon peel, sugar), vegetable suet (palm oil, sunflower oil), maize starch, mixed spices preservative (acetic acid), colour (plain caramel), ginger powder ground cinnamon, acidity regulator (citric acid), warning (safety button pops when seal is broken), caution

Additives: E150a Plain caramel , E260 Acetic acid , E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

sugar, currants (16%), apple, raisins (7%), apricot purée (6%), brandy (6%), sultanas (6%), glucose-fructose syrup, candied mixed citrus peel (4,5%) (orange peel, glucose-fructose syrup, lemon peel, sugar), vegetable suet (palm oil, sunflower oil), maize starch, mixed spices preservative: acetic acid, colour: plain caramel, ginger powder ground cinnamon, acidity regulator: citric acid, dietary advice: suitable for vegans, warning: safety button pops when seal is broken, caution: contains alcohol, no artificial colours or flavourings,

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.

  • E150a Plain caramel Plain caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.

Substances rarely used in home kitchens

Refined or extracted in factories, such as syrups made from starch or isolated proteins. The other hallmark of ultra-processed food.

  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Fructose Fructose is the sugar found naturally in fruit and honey, but as an ingredient it is refined industrially, mostly from corn starch.
4 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.

  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Vegetable fat Vegetable fats are oils that are solid at room temperature, such as palm or coconut fat.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 86 pastry helpers

From least to most processed, this one ranks 49th. 84% of the pastry helpers 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 86 pastry helpers, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4088600537818, last edited 21 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.
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.