Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco Onion gravy granules ultra-processed?

200g Dehydrated sauces Sold in the United Kingdom and Germany

Pack of Tesco Onion gravy granules

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:

  • 17 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed dehydrated 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

Potato Starch, Palm Oil, Salt, Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Onion, Barley Malt Extract, Flavourings, Dried onion, hydrolysed maize protein, emulsifier (soya lecithins), onion oil

Additives: E322 Lecithins

As written on the pack

Potato Starch, Palm Oil, Salt, Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Onion Powder, Barley Malt Extract, Flavourings (contains Wheat, Soya), Dried onion, hydrolysed maize protein, emulsifier (soya lecithins), onion oil

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.

  • E322 Lecithins Lecithins are fatty substances extracted mostly from soybeans, sunflower seeds or eggs, used as emulsifiers to keep fat and water mixed, for example in chocolate.
  • Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
2 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 50 dehydrated sauces

From least to most processed, this one ranks 9th. 96% of the dehydrated 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 50 dehydrated sauces, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5052319189575, last edited 9 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.