Is Tesco Smoked Ham & Mature Cheddar Sub ultra-processed?

183g Ham and cheese sandwiches Sold in the United Kingdom

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Dextrose
Emulsifier
Glucose
E451 Triphosphates
E470a Sodium/potassium and calcium salts of fatty acids
E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids
and 1 more

35 ingredients
9 additives
Nutri-Score C

Less processed cheese sandwiches

Ham and Cheese Sandwich on White Quality Fast Foods 4 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Black Forest Ham & Swiss Sandwich Ready For You 4 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3

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

Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Smoked Formed Ham 22% (Pork, Salt (processing marker), Dextrose (ultra-processing marker), Stabiliser (Sodium Triphosphate (ultra-processing marker)), Antioxidant (Sodium Ascorbate), Preservative (processing marker) (Sodium Nitrite (processing marker))), Water, Cheddar Cheese (processing marker), Rapeseed Oil, Maize, Sugar (processing marker), White Wine Vinegar, Cornflour, Salt (processing marker), Pasteurised Egg Yolk, Yeast, Emulsifiers (ultra-processing marker) (mono- and DiGlycerides of Fatty Acids (ultra-processing marker), mono- and DiAcetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of mono- and DiGlycerides of Fatty Acids (ultra-processing marker), Sodium Salts of Fatty Acids (ultra-processing marker)), Palm Oil, Mustard Flour, Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid), Wheat Starch (processing marker)

Additives: E250 Sodium nitrite , E300 Ascorbic acid , E301 Sodium ascorbate , E451 Triphosphates , E451i Pentasodium triphosphate , E470a Sodium/potassium and calcium salts of fatty acids , E470ai Sodium salts of fatty acids , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

As written on the pack

Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin], Smoked Formed Ham (22%) [Pork, Salt, Dextrose, Stabiliser (Sodium Triphosphate), Antioxidant (Sodium Ascorbate), Preservative (Sodium Nitrite)], Water, Cheddar Cheese (Milk) (17%), Rapeseed Oil, Maize, Sugar, White Wine Vinegar, Cornflour, Salt, Pasteurised Egg Yolk, Yeast, Emulsifiers (Mono - and Di-Glycerides of Fatty Acids, Mono - and Di-Acetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono - and Di-Glycerides of Fatty Acids, Sodium Salts of Fatty Acids), Palm Oil, Mustard Flour, Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid), Wheat Starch.

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.

E451 Triphosphates Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
E470a Sodium/potassium and calcium salts of fatty acids Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.

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.

Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.

7 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.
Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
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.
Sandwiches Products in the category "Sandwiches" are at least group 3.
Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 8 ham and cheese sandwiches

From least to most processed, this one ranks 6th. 88% of the ham and cheese sandwiches 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 8 ham and cheese sandwiches, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 03045664, last edited 3 August 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.