Is Tesco Pepperoni pizza ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 40 ingredients
- 4 additives
- Nutri-Score C
Less processed pepperoni pizzas
Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
wheat flour (wheat flour, calcium carbonate, iron, niacin, thiamin), mozzarella full fat soft cheese, tomato purée, pepperoni 16% (pork, durum wheat semolina, salt (processing marker), dextrose (ultra-processing marker), paprika extract (ultra-processing marker), cayenne pepper, antioxidants (extracts of rosemary, sodium ascorbate), garlic, paprika, pepper extract, preservative (processing marker) (sodium nitrite (processing marker))), water, tomato, semolina (wheat), mature cheddar cheese (processing marker), rapeseed oil, yeast, sea salt (processing marker), basil, malted wheat flour, lemon juice, cornflour, garlic purée, made using eu pork, including cereals containing gluten, nutrition when cooked according to instructions typical values ri* for an per of a plzza, averag e adult
Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E250 Sodium nitrite , E301 Sodium ascorbate , E392 Extracts of rosemary
As written on the pack
wheat flour [wheat flour, calcium carbonate, iron, niacin, thiamin], mozzarella full fat soft cheese (milk), tomato purée, pepperoni (16%) [pork, durum wheat semolina, salt, dextrose, paprika extract, cayenne pepper, antioxidants (extracts of rosemary, sodium ascorbate), garlic, paprika, pepper extract. preservative (sodium nitrite)], water, tomato, semolina (wheat). mature cheddar cheese (milk), rapeseed oil, yeast, sea salt. basil, malted wheat flour, lemon juice, cornflour, garlic purée. made using eu pork, allergy advice for allergens, including cereals containing gluten, see ingredients in bold. nutrition when cooked according to instructions typical values ri* for an per of a plzza 100g (139g) averag e adult
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.
Substances rarely used in home kitchens
Refined or extracted in factories, such as syrups made from starch or isolated proteins. The other hallmark of ultra-processed food.
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.
- E250 Sodium nitrite Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
- Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
- Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
- Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
- Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.
Among 34 pepperoni pizzas
From least to most processed, this one ranks 16th. 94% of the pepperoni pizzas here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5059512731099, 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.