Is Tesco freeFROM Bacon Rashers ultra-processed?

150g Bacon rashers Sold in the United Kingdom

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Colour
Flavouring
E160c Paprika extract
E162 Beetroot red

13 ingredients
3 additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed bacon rashers

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

Rice Flour, Maize, Sunflower Oil (processing marker), Potato, Yeast Powder, Sugar (processing marker), Salt (processing marker), Colours (ultra-processing marker) (Beetroot Red (ultra-processing marker), Paprika Extract (ultra-processing marker)), Yeast Extract, Flavouring (ultra-processing marker), Citric Acid

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E162 Beetroot red , E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

Rice Flour, Maize, Sunflower Oil, Dried Potato, Yeast Powder, Sugar, Salt, Colours (Beetroot Red, Paprika Extract), Yeast Extract, Flavouring, Citric Acid.

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.

E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
E162 Beetroot red 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.
Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

4 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.
Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 15 bacon rashers

From least to most processed, this one ranks 15th. 20% of the bacon rashers 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 15 bacon rashers, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5057753915599, last edited 5 June 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.