Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco Plant Chef Smoky Lentil & Red Pepper Soup ultra-processed?

400g Lentil soups Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Tesco Plant Chef Smoky Lentil & Red Pepper Soup

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:

  • 23 ingredients
  • No additives
  • Nutri-Score A

Less processed lentil soups

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 35%, Water, Tomato, Tomato Purée, Red Pepper 7%, Onion, Modified Maize Starch, Salt, Paprika, Cornflour, Smoked Paprika, Garlic Purée, Rapeseed Oil, Vegetable Stock (Carrot, Mushroom, Onion, Salt, Black Pepper), Red Chilli Purée, Red Chilli Purée, Onion, Black Pepper

As written on the pack

Cooked Red Lentils (35%), Water, Tomato, Tomato Purée, Red Pepper (7%), Onion, Modified Maize Starch, Salt, Paprika, Cornflour, Smoked Paprika, Garlic Purée, Rapeseed Oil, Vegetable Stock [Carrot, Mushroom, Onion, Salt, Black Pepper], Smoked Red Chilli Purée, Red Chilli Purée, Onion Powder, Black Pepper.

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.

  • 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.
3 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 23 lentil soups

From least to most processed, this one ranks 17th. 30% of the lentil soups 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 23 lentil soups, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5057753901165, last edited 7 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.