Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco Finest Roast Beef Topside Slices ultra-processed?

90 g Beef Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Tesco Finest Roast Beef Topside Slices

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:

  • 23 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed beef

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

Beef, Sugar, Salt, Maize Starch, Yeast Extract, Red Wine, Onion, Caramelised Sugar, Yeast, Tapioca Starch, Black Pepper, Flavouring, Garlic, Guar Gum, Bay Leaf, Xanthan Gum, Chilli, Black Pepper Extract, Thyme, Garlic Extract, Capsicum Extract, Fennel, Thyme

Additives: E412 Guar gum , E415 Xanthan gum

As written on the pack

Beef, Sugar, Salt, Maize Starch, Yeast Extract, Red Wine Powder, Onion, Caramelised Sugar, Yeast, Tapioca Starch, Black Pepper, Flavouring, Garlic, Stabiliser (Guar Gum), Bay Leaf, Thickener (Xanthan Gum), Chilli, Black Pepper Extract, Thyme, Garlic Extract, Capsicum Extract, Fennel Extract, Thyme Extract.

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.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
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.

  • 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 103 beef

From least to most processed, this one ranks 95th. 49% of the beef 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 103 beef, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5059697388057, last edited 2 October 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.