Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco Jam mein stir-fry sauce ultra-processed?

1x 120g Sauces Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Tesco Jam mein stir-fry sauce

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:

  • 29 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed sauces

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

Water, Sugar, Soy Sauce 4.5% (Water, Soya Bean, Wheat, Salt), Modified Maize Starch, Salted Ginger Strips 2% (Ginger, Water, Salt, Acetic Acid), Vinegar, Garlic (Garlic, Water, Salt, Acetic Acid), Chives 1%, Ginger 1%, Garlic 0.5%, Sesame Oil 0.5%, Red Chilli, Chives, Colour (Plain Caramel), Stabiliser (Xanthan Gum)

Additives: E150a Plain caramel , E260 Acetic acid , E415 Xanthan gum

As written on the pack

Water, Sugar, Soy Sauce (4.5%) [Water, Soya Bean, Wheat, Salt], Modified Maize Starch, Salted Ginger Strips (2%) (Ginger, Water, Salt, Acetic Acid), Vinegar, Pickled Garlic [Garlic, Water, Salt, Acetic Acid], Chives (1%), Ginger (1%), Garlic (0.5%), Sesame Oil (0.5%), Red Chilli, Dried Chives, Colour (Plain Caramel), Stabiliser (Xanthan Gum). Allergy Advice

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.

  • E150a Plain caramel Plain caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars.
  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.
5 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.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 2,962 sauces

From least to most processed, this one ranks 2528th. 60% of the sauces 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 2,962 sauces, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5052109996741, 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.