Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco Tomato & Herb Pasta ultra-processed?

Durum wheat pasta Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Tesco Tomato & Herb Pasta

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:

  • 16 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed durum wheat pasta

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

to dried pasta 71% (durum wheat semolina), tomato 11%, sugar, maltodextrin, maize starch, onion, flavourings (contain wheat), dried onion, garlic, salt, herbs, colour (beetroot red), black pepper

Additives: E162 Beetroot red

As written on the pack

to dried pasta (71%) [durum wheat semolina], tomato powder (11%), sugar, maltodextrin, maize starch, onion powder, flavourings (contain wheat). dried onion. garlic powder, salt, dried herbs, colour (beetroot red). ground black pepper.

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.

  • E162 Beetroot red Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

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.

  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down 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.
  • 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 126 durum wheat pasta

From least to most processed, this one ranks 124th. 6% of the durum wheat pasta 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 126 durum wheat pasta, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5054268704533, last edited 12 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.