Is Specially Selected Lean Pork Sausages ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 30 ingredients
- 4 additives
- Nutri-Score C
Less processed pork sausages
-
Heck 97% 6 Sausages
Heck
8 ingredients · 2 additives
NOVA group
3
-
Organic free range british pork sausages with mixed herbs
Waitrose
23 ingredients · no additives
NOVA group
3
-
Free Range Cumberland Pork Sausages
Waitrose
19 ingredients · 1 additive
NOVA group
3
-
Caramelised Onion Pork Sausages
Lidl
27 ingredients · 1 additive
NOVA group
3
Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
pork 70%, Water, Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch (processing marker), Chickpea Flour, Potato Starch (processing marker), Salt (processing marker), Stabiliser (Diphosphates (ultra-processing marker)), Bamboo Fibre (ultra-processing marker), White Pepper, Brown Sugar (processing marker) (Sugar, Molasses), Flavouring (ultra-processing marker), Cornflour, Dextrose (ultra-processing marker), Onion Powder, Yeast Extract, Ground Nutmeg, Preservative (processing marker) (Sodium Metabisulphite), Paprika, Ground Ginger, Ground Mace, Dried Sage, Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid), Ground Cayenne Pepper Filled into Vegetable Based Casings (Calcium Alginate (ultra-processing marker))
Additives: E223 Sodium metabisulphite , E300 Ascorbic acid , E404 Calcium alginate , E450 Diphosphates
As written on the pack
PORK (70%), Water, Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch, Chickpea Flour, Potato Starch, Salt, Stabiliser: Diphosphates; Bamboo Fibre, Ground White Pepper, Brown Sugar (Sugar, Molasses), Flavouring, Cornflour, Dextrose, Onion Powder, Yeast Extract, Ground Nutmeg, Preservative Sodium Metabisulphite, Ground Paprika, Ground Ginger, Ground Mace, Dried Sage, Antioxidant: Ascorbic Acid, Ground Cayenne Pepper Filled into Vegetable Based Casings (Calcium Alginate).
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.
- E404 Calcium alginate A food additive used to dissolve, dilute, disperse or otherwise physically modify a food additive or nutrient without altering its function -and without exerting any technological effect itself- in order to facilitate its handling, application or use of the food additive or nutrient.
- 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.
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.
- Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
- Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
- Vegetable fiber Isolated plant fibres, such as inulin, oat fibre or bamboo fibre, are extracted industrially and added to change texture or support "source of fibre" claims.
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.
- Prepared meats Products in the category "Prepared meats" are at least group 3.
- Sausages Products in the category "Sausages" 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.
Among 55 pork sausages
From least to most processed, this one ranks 49th. 89% of the pork sausages here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4061461952914, last edited 12 July 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.