Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Specially Selected Tomato and pancetta pasta sauce ultra-processed?

340 g Tomato sauces Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Specially Selected Tomato and pancetta pasta sauce

It's processed, but not ultra-processed

  1. 1 Unprocessed
  2. 2 Kitchen staple
  3. 3 Processed
  4. 4 Ultra-processed

Whole foods combined with:

  • 24 ingredients
  • 4 additives

Less processed tomato 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

tomato 63%, tomato purée, pancetta 11% (pork belly 10.67%, salt, white wine, sugar, garlic, antioxidant (sodium ascorbate), preservatives (potassium nitrate), sodium nitrite), olive oil, onion, sugar, pecorino romano cheese 1.5%, garlic purée, basil 0.5%, acidity regulator (lactic acid), salt, black pepper, caution

Additives: E250 Sodium nitrite , E252 Potassium nitrate , E270 Lactic acid , E301 Sodium ascorbate

As written on the pack

tomato (63%), tomato purée, pancetta (11%) (pork belly (97%), salt, white wine, sugar, garlic powder, antioxidant: sodium ascorbate, preservatives: potassium nitrate, sodium nitrite), olive oil, onion, sugar, pecorino romano cheese (1,5%) (milk), garlic purée, basil (0,5%), acidity regulator: lactic acid, salt, black pepper, no artificial colours or flavourings, caution: contains alcohol,

What makes it processed

Processed ingredients

Processed foods in their own right, such as cheese or milk powder.

  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

Culinary ingredients

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.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

Preservation and traditional processing

Keep food safe or ferment it, like preservatives and cultures. A sign of processing, not ultra-processing.

  • 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.
  • E252 Potassium nitrate 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 442 tomato sauces

From least to most processed, this one ranks 266th. 40% of the tomato 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 442 tomato sauces, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4088600054452, last edited 27 March 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.
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.