Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco Finest Coleslaw ultra-processed?

300g Coleslaw Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Tesco Finest Coleslaw

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:

  • 17 ingredients
  • 3 additives

Less processed coleslaw

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

Cabbage 45%, Rapeseed Oil, Carrot, Water, Pasteurised Egg Yolk, Spirit Vinegar, Onion, Sugar, Single Cream, Salt, Mustard, Citrus Fibre, Stabilisers (Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum), Thickener (Pectin)

Additives: E412 Guar gum , E415 Xanthan gum , E440 Pectins

As written on the pack

Cabbage (45%), Rapeseed Oil, Carrot, Water, Pasteurised Egg Yolk, Spirit Vinegar, Onion, Sugar, Single Cream (Milk), Salt, Mustard Flour, Citrus Fibre, Stabilisers (Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum), Thickener (Pectin).

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.

  • E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.
  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • E440 Pectins Pectins are gelling agents extracted from citrus peel or apple pomace.
  • Thickener Thickeners, often gums or modified starches, make liquids more viscous so that a product feels richer than its ingredients alone would make it.

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.

  • Vegetable fiber Isolated plant fibres, such as inulin, oat fibre or bamboo fibre, are extracted industrially and added to change texture or support "source of fibre" claims.
3 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.

  • Salty snacks Products in the category "Salty snacks" are at least group 3.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 40 coleslaw

From least to most processed, this one ranks 38th. 90% of the coleslaw 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 40 coleslaw, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5052910510082, last edited 5 April 2025), 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.