Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco Red cabbage & apple ultra-processed?

Cabbages Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Tesco Red cabbage & apple

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:

  • 24 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed cabbages

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 Cabbage 76%, Onion, Apple 13%, Redcurrant Jelly (Glucose-Fructose Syrup, er heating, Stir VEN 190°C, Fan 15 mins, in the centre Concentrated Redcurrant Juice, Gelling Agent (Pectins), Acidity Regulators (Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate)), Red Wine, Muscovado Sugar, Butter, Red Wine Vinegar, Cornflour, Salt, Black Pepper, Cinnamon Powder, Clove, VSuitable for NUTRITION When microwave heated according to instructions Important All Typical values e are guidelines piping hot Energ Per 12 of a pack

Additives: E330 Citric acid , E331 Sodium citrates , E440 Pectins

As written on the pack

Red Cabbage (76%), Onion, Apple (13%), Redcurrant Jelly [Glucose-Fructose Syrup, er heating. Stir VEN 190°C/Fan 15 mins. in the centre Concentrated Redcurrant Juice, Gelling Agent (Pectins), Acidity Regulators (Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate)], Red Wine, Muscovado Sugar, Butter (Milk), Red Wine Vinegar, Cornflour, Salt, Black Pepper, Cinnamon Powder, Clove Powder. Allergy Advice For allergens, see ingredients in bold. VSuitable for vegetarians NUTRITION When microwave heated according to instructions Important All Typical values e are guidelines piping hot Energ Per 12 of a pack (143g) 100g

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.

  • E440 Pectins Pectins are gelling agents extracted from citrus peel or apple pomace.
  • Gelling agent Gelling agents such as pectin, gelatine or carrageenan set liquids into gels and stabilise textures.

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.

  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Fructose Fructose is the sugar found naturally in fruit and honey, but as an ingredient it is refined industrially, mostly from corn 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.
  • Butter Butter, the fat churned from cream.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 12 cabbages

From least to most processed, this one ranks 12th. 33% of the cabbages 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 12 cabbages, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5057008570276, last edited 18 April 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.