Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco Finest Mozzarella & Pesto Pasta Salad ultra-processed?

235g Pasta salads Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Tesco Finest Mozzarella & Pesto Pasta Salad

It's processed, but not ultra-processed

  1. 1 Unprocessed
  2. 2 Kitchen staple
  3. 3 Processed
  4. 4 Ultra-processed

Whole foods combined with:

  • 34 ingredients
  • No additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Ingredients

Ultra-processing Processing signs are highlighted

Cooked Pasta (Durum Wheat Semolina, Water), Mozzarella Full Fat Soft Cheese, Red Pepper, Tomatoes (Tomato, Sunflower Oil, Salt, Garlic, Oregano), Rocket, Medium Fat Hard Cheese, Rapeseed Oil, Sunflower Oil, Basil, Parsley, Water, Spinach, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Cider Vinegar, Salt, Garlic Purée, Garlic Purée, Sugar, Cornflour, Potato Starch, Mustard Seed, Black Pepper, Spirit Vinegar, White Pepper, Mustard, Tarragon, Thyme

As written on the pack

Cooked Pasta [Durum Wheat Semolina, Water], Mozzarella Full Fat Soft Cheese (Milk) (16%), Chargrilled Red Pepper, Marinated Semi Dried Tomatoes [Tomato, Sunflower Oil, Salt, Garlic, Oregano], Rocket, Medium Fat Hard Cheese (Milk), Rapeseed Oil, Sunflower Oil, Basil, Parsley, Water, Spinach, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Cider Vinegar, Salt, Roasted Garlic Purée, Garlic Purée, Sugar, Cornflour, Potato Starch, Mustard Seed, Black Pepper, Spirit Vinegar, White Pepper, Mustard Flour, Tarragon, Thyme.

What makes it processed

Processed ingredients

Processed foods in their own right, such as cheese or milk powder.

  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

Culinary ingredients

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.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

Category rules

Open Food Facts puts every product in this category in at least this group.

  • Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 42 pasta salads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 9th. 60% of the pasta salads 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 42 pasta salads, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5057753935412, 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.