Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco Thick Whole Slices Roast Ham ultra-processed?

120 g Cured hams Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Tesco Thick Whole Slices Roast Ham

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:

  • 8 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed cured hams

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

Pork, Salt, Colour (Plain Caramel), Preservatives (Sodium Nitrite, Potassium Nitrate), Prepared from 110g of British pork per 100g of Wiltshire Cured Roast Ham Thick Cut

Additives: E150a Plain caramel , E250 Sodium nitrite , E252 Potassium nitrate

As written on the pack

Pork, Salt, Colour (Plain Caramel), Preservatives (Sodium Nitrite, Potassium Nitrate). Prepared from 110g of British pork per 100g of Wiltshire Cured Roast Ham Thick Cut.

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.

  • E150a Plain caramel Plain caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
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.

  • 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.
  • E252 Potassium nitrate 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.
  • Prepared meats Products in the category "Prepared meats" are at least group 3.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 50 cured hams

From least to most processed, this one ranks 40th. 32% of the cured hams 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 50 cured hams, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5059697769139, last edited 26 July 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 D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.