Is Tesco 2 Vegetarian Monterey Jack BBQ Bean Burgers ultra-processed?

280g Vegetarian hamburgers Sold in the United Kingdom

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Colour
Flavouring
E160c Paprika extract

40 ingredients
3 additives
Nutri-Score A

Less processed vegetarian hamburgers

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

Mixed Beans 26% (Haricot Beans, Black Turtle Beans), Onion, Red Pepper, Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Water, Medium Fat Hard Cheese (processing marker), Rapeseed Oil, Tomato Paste, Cornflour, Apple, Sundried Tomatoes, Sugar Wheat Starch, Salt (processing marker), Garlic, Tomato, Onion, Spices, Yeast, Herbs, Paprika Extract (ultra-processing marker), White Wine Vinegar, Cane Molasses (processing marker), Smoked Salt (processing marker), Yeast Extract, Flavouring (ultra-processing marker), Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Oregano, Oregano Oil, Colour (ultra-processing marker) (Paprika Extract (ultra-processing marker)), Antioxidant (Sodium Ascorbate)

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E301 Sodium ascorbate , E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

Mixed Beans (26%) [Haricot Beans, Black Turtle Beans], Onion, Red Pepper, Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin], Water, Medium Fat Hard Cheese (Milk) (5%), Rapeseed Oil, Tomato Paste, Cornflour, Apple, Sundried Tomatoes, Sugar Wheat Starch, Salt, Garlic Powder, Tomato Powder, Onion Powder, Spices, Yeast, Herbs, Paprika Extract, White Wine Vinegar, Cane Molasses, Smoked Salt, Yeast Extract, Flavouring, Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Oregano Extract, Oregano Oil, Colour (Paprika Extract), Antioxidant (Sodium Ascorbate).

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.

E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

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.

Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
Sandwiches Products in the category "Sandwiches" are at least group 3.
Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 21 vegetarian hamburgers

From least to most processed, this one ranks 10th. 71% of the vegetarian hamburgers 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 21 vegetarian hamburgers, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5054775540198, 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.
NOVA measures processing, not nutrition. For nutrition, Open Food Facts gives this product a Nutri-Score of A (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.