Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco finest 6 Pork & Caramelised Red Onion Sausages ultra-processed?

Sausages Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Tesco finest 6 Pork & Caramelised Red Onion Sausages

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:

  • 22 ingredients
  • 6 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed sausages

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

Pork 74%, Red Onion 15% (Red Onion, Sugar, Water, Cider Vinegar, Wine Vinegar, Grape Must, Spices, Preservative), Rice Flour, Gram Flour, Salt, Calcium Lactate, Tetrapotassium Diphosphate, Disodium Diphosphate, Maize Starch, Onion Powder, Demerara Sugar, Herbs, Sodium Metabisulphite, Spices

Additives: E220 Sulphur dioxide , E223 Sodium metabisulphite , E327 Calcium lactate , E450 Diphosphates , E450i Disodium diphosphate , E450v Tetrapotassium diphosphate

As written on the pack

Pork (74%), Caramelised Red Onion (15%) [Red Onion, Sugar, Water, Cider Vinegar, Wine Vinegar, Grape Must Concentrate, Spices, Preservative (Sulphur Dioxide)], Rice Flour, Gram Flour, Salt, Acidity Regulator (Calcium Lactate), Stabilisers (Tetrapotassium Diphosphate, Disodium Diphosphate), Maize Starch, Onion Powder, Demerara Sugar, Herbs, Preservative (Sodium Metabisulphite), Spices.

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.

  • E327 Calcium lactate Thickeners are substances which increase the viscosity of a foodstuff.
  • E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 337 sausages

From least to most processed, this one ranks 168th. 80% of the sausages 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 337 sausages, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5051898641283, last edited 18 September 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 D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.