Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco Red pepper pesto cremoso ultra-processed?

Fruits Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Tesco Red pepper pesto cremoso

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:

  • 22 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed fruits

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 Pepper 40% (Red Pepper, Salt, Sugar, Lactic Acid, Ascorbic Acid), Ricotta Full Fat Whey Cheese, Sunflower Oil, Water, Tomato Paste, Medium Fat Hard Cheese, Sugar, Pea Fibre, Olive Oil, Modified Maize Starch, Pecorino Romano Cheese, Salt, Lactic Acid, Onion Powder, Red Chilli, Oregano, Also

Additives: E270 Lactic acid , E300 Ascorbic acid

As written on the pack

Marinated Red Pepper (40%) [Red Pepper, Salt, Sugar, Acidity Regulator (Lactic Acid), Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid)]. Ricotta Full Fat Whey Cheese (Milk) (15%). Sunflower Oil. Water, Tomato Paste, Medium Fat Hard Cheese (Milk), Sugar, Pea Fibre, Olive Oil, Modified Maize Starch, Pecorino Romano Cheese (Milk), Salt, Acidity Regulator (Lactic Acid), Onion Powder. Red Chilli Powder, Oregano. Allergy Advice For allergens, see ingredients in bold. Also, may contain peanuts and nuts.

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.

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.

  • Vegetable fiber Isolated plant fibres, such as inulin, oat fibre or bamboo fibre, are extracted industrially and added to change texture or support "source of fibre" claims.
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.

  • 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.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 453 fruits

From least to most processed, this one ranks 427th. 13% of the fruits 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 453 fruits, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5057753919498, last edited 7 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.