Is it ultra-processed?
Menu

Is Tesco Taco Mixed Beans in Spicy Tomato Sauce ultra-processed?

395 g Common beans Sold in the United Kingdom and France

Pack of Tesco Taco Mixed Beans in Spicy Tomato Sauce

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:

  • 26 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed common beans

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

Mixed Beans 43% (Red Kidney, Black Eyed, Cannellini, Haricot, Pinto), Water, Tomato Paste, Onion, Red Pepper 4%, Sugar, Modified Maize Starch, Salt, Yeast Extract, Chilli, Black Pepper Extract, Sunflower Oil, Garlic, Basil, Capsicum Extract, Nutmeg, Black Pepper, Colour (Paprika Extract), Pepper Extract, Rapeseed Oil

Additives: E160c Paprika extract

As written on the pack

Mixed Beans (43%) [Red Kidney, Black Eyed, Cannellini, Haricot, Pinto], Water, Tomato Paste, Onion, Red Pepper (4%), Sugar, Modified Maize Starch, Salt, Yeast Extract, Chilli Powder, Black Pepper Extract, Sunflower Oil, Garlic, Basil, Capsicum Extract, Nutmeg Extract, Black Pepper, Colour (Paprika Extract), Pepper Extract, Rapeseed Oil.

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.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • 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.
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.

  • 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.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 169 common beans

From least to most processed, this one ranks 166th. 39% of the common beans 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 169 common beans, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5018374442277, last edited 20 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.