Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco Cream of Mushroom Soup ultra-processed?

400 g Cream of mushroom soups Sold in the United Kingdom and Singapore

Pack of Tesco Cream of Mushroom Soup

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:

  • 25 ingredients
  • 5 additives
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed mushrooms and their products

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

water, mushroom, modified maize starch, rapeseed oil, double cream, whey protein, wheat flour (wheat flour, calcium carbonate, iron, niacin, thiamin), yeast extract, salt, sugar, stabilisers (sodium polyphosphate, sodium phosphates), onion powder, mushroom powder, nutmeg, white pepper colours (paprika extract, carotenes), flavourings

Additives: E160a Carotene , E160c Paprika extract , E339 Sodium phosphates , E452 Polyphosphates , E452i Sodium polyphosphate

As written on the pack

water, mushroom, modified maize starch, rapeseed oil, double cream (milk), whey protein concentrate (milk), wheat flour (wheat flour, calcium carbonate, iron, niacin, thiamin), yeast extract, salt, sugar, stabilisers, (sodium polyphosphate, sodium phosphates), onion powder, mushroom powder, nutmeg, white pepper colours (paprika extract, carotenes), 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.

  • E160a Carotene Carotenes are orange-yellow pigments, either synthesised or extracted from carrots, algae or palm oil.
  • E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
  • E452 Polyphosphates Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.

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.

  • Milk proteins Milk proteins are proteins separated from milk, such as caseinates and whey protein concentrates, added to adjust texture or raise protein content.
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.

  • Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
  • 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 8 cream of mushroom soups

From least to most processed, this one ranks 7th. 100% of the cream of mushroom soups 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 8 cream of mushroom soups, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000436960218, last edited 4 August 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.