Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco Finest Finest victoria sponge cake ultra-processed?

Cakes Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Tesco Finest Finest victoria sponge cake

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
  • 12 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed cakes

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

Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Vanilla Flavoured Buttercream 15% (Sugar, Butter, Water, Humectant (Glycerol), Glucose Syrup, Cornflour, Maize Starch, Salt, Egg White, Flavouring), Strawberry Jam 15% (Sugar, Strawberry Purée, Gelling Agent (Pectin), Acidity Regulators (Citric Acid, Trisodium Citrate), Flavouring, Colour (Anthocyanins)), Egg, Sugar, Rapeseed Oil, Whole Milk, Egg White, Humectant (Glycerol), Butter, Glucose Syrup, Cornflour, Raising Agents (Disodium Diphosphate, Potassium Carbonate), Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Emulsifier (mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Palm Oil

Additives: E163 Anthocyanins , E202 Potassium sorbate , E330 Citric acid , E331 Sodium citrates , E331iii Trisodium citrate , E422 Glycerol , E440 Pectins , E450 Diphosphates , E450i Disodium diphosphate , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E501 Potassium carbonates , E501i Potassium carbonate

As written on the pack

Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin], Vanilla Flavoured Buttercream (15%) [Sugar, Butter (Milk), Water, Humectant (Glycerol), Glucose Syrup, Cornflour, Maize Starch, Salt, Dried Egg White, Flavouring], Strawberry Jam (15%) [Sugar, Strawberry Purée, Gelling Agent (Pectin), Acidity Regulators (Citric Acid, Trisodium Citrate), Flavouring, Colour (Anthocyanins)], Pasteurised Egg. Sugar, Rapeseed Oil, Whole Milk, Pasteurised Egg White, Humectant (Glycerol), Butter (Milk), Glucose Syrup, Cornflour, Raising Agents (Disodium Diphosphate, Potassium Carbonate), Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Emulsifier (Mono - and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), 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.

  • E163 Anthocyanins 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.
  • E422 Glycerol Glycerol is a sweet-tasting liquid used to keep products moist and soft.
  • E440 Pectins Pectins are gelling agents extracted from citrus peel or apple pomace.
  • E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
  • E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
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  • Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • Gelling agent Gelling agents such as pectin, gelatine or carrageenan set liquids into gels and stabilise textures.
  • Humectant Humectants are substances which prevent foods from drying out by counteracting the effect of an atmosphere having a low degree of humidity, or promote the dissolution of a powder in an aqueous medium.

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.

  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Glucose syrup Glucose syrup is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
7 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.

  • E202 Potassium sorbate Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
  • Butter Butter, the fat churned from cream.
  • 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.
  • Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 377 cakes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 313th. 94% of the cakes 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 377 cakes, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5059697699498, 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 E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.