Is Tesco Deli style cheese and pickle ultra-processed?

211g Club sandwiches Sold in the United Kingdom and Singapore

Pack of Tesco Deli style cheese and pickle

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:

  • 47 ingredients
  • 6 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed sandwiches

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, Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Red Leicester Cheese (processing marker) (with Colour (ultra-processing marker) (Annatto Norbixin (ultra-processing marker))), Rye Flour, Spinach, Cabbage, Mature Cheddar Cheese (processing marker) (with Colour (ultra-processing marker) (Annatto Norbixin (ultra-processing marker))), Medium Cheddar Cheese (processing marker), Rapeseed Oil, Onion, Beetroot, Cider Vinegar, Gherkin, Sugar (processing marker), Malted Barley Flour, Spirit Vinegar, Cornflour, Dill, Wheat Gluten (ultra-processing marker), Salt (processing marker), Mustard, White Wine Vinegar, Pasteurised Egg Yolk, Yeast, Emulsifiers (ultra-processing marker) (mono- and DiGlycerides of Fatty Acids (ultra-processing marker), mono- and DiAcetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of mono- and DiGlycerides of Fatty Acids (ultra-processing marker)), Potato Starch (processing marker), Mustard, Malt Vinegar (Barley), Mustard, Acidity Regulator (Acetic Acid), Turmeric, Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid), Palm Oil

Additives: E160b Annatto , E160bii Annatto norbixin , E260 Acetic acid , E300 Ascorbic acid , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

As written on the pack

Water, Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin], Red Leicester Cheese (with Colour: Annatto Norbixin) (Milk) (7%), Rye Flour, Spinach, Cabbage, Mature Cheddar Cheese (with Colour: Annatto Norbixin) (Milk), Medium Cheddar Cheese (Milk), Rapeseed Oil, Onion, Beetroot, Cider Vinegar, Gherkin, Sugar, Malted Barley Flour, Spirit Vinegar, Cornflour, Dill, Wheat Gluten, Salt, Mustard Flour, White Wine Vinegar, Pasteurised Egg Yolk, Yeast, Emulsifiers (Mono - and Di-Glycerides of Fatty Acids, Mono - and Di-Acetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono - and Di-Glycerides of Fatty Acids), Potato Starch, Mustard Bran, Malt Vinegar (Barley), Mustard Powder, Acidity Regulator (Acetic Acid), Ground Turmeric, Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid), Palm Oil.

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.

  • E160b Annatto Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
  • E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
  • E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids 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.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.

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.

  • Gluten Wheat gluten, sold as "vital wheat gluten", is the protein washed out of wheat flour.
5 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.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • 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 18 club sandwiches

From least to most processed, this one ranks 14th. 100% of the club sandwiches 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 18 club sandwiches, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5059697774355, last edited 21 June 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.