Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco Lentil & Vegetable Bolognese ultra-processed?

Canned meals Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Tesco Lentil & Vegetable Bolognese

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:

  • 25 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score A

Less processed canned meals

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

Red Lentils 28%, Tomato 14%, Onion, Red Pepper 10%, Carrot 8%, Tomato Purée, Tomato Juice, Mushroom 4%, Modified Maize Starch, Maize Starch, Garlic Purée, Rapeseed Oil, Basil, Red Wine, Yeast Extract, Mushroom Extract, Salt, Sugar, Oregano, Water, Colour (Paprika Extract), Black Pepper, Leek, White Pepper

Additives: E160c Paprika extract

As written on the pack

Red Lentils (28%), Tomato (14%), Onion, Red Pepper (10%), Carrot (8%), Tomato Purée, Tomato Juice, Mushroom (4%), Modified Maize Starch, Maize Starch, Garlic Purée, Rapeseed Oil, Basil, Red Wine, Yeast Extract, Mushroom Extract, Salt, Sugar, Oregano, Water, Colour (Paprika Extract), Black Pepper, Leek Concentrate, White Pepper. Suitable for vegans

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.
  • 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.
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.

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

From least to most processed, this one ranks 157th. 69% of the canned meals 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 228 canned meals, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5059697761799, 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 A (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.