Is Tesco Tuna & Cucumber Sandwich ultra-processed?

184g Fish 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:

Gluten
E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids
E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

29 ingredients
3 additives
Nutri-Score B

Less processed fish sandwiches

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, Folic Acid, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Tuna, Water, Cucumber 16%, Oatmeal, Rapeseed Oil, Wheat Bran, Cornflour, Spirit Vinegar, Sugar (processing marker), Salt (processing marker), Egg, Yeast, Wheat Gluten (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), Pasteurised Egg Yolk, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Malted Barley Flour, White Pepper, Brown Mustard Seeds, Ascorbic Acid, Palm Oil

Additives: E300 Ascorbic acid , 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, Folic Acid, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin], Tuna (Fish) (25%), Water, Cucumber (16%), Oatmeal, Rapeseed Oil, Wheat Bran, Cornflour, Spirit Vinegar, Sugar, Salt, Pasteurised Egg, Yeast, Wheat Gluten, Emulsifiers (Mono - and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids, Mono - and Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono - and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Pasteurised Egg Yolk, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Malted Barley Flour, White Pepper, Brown Mustard Seeds, Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid), Palm 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.

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.

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.

Gluten Wheat gluten, sold as "vital wheat gluten", is the protein washed out of wheat flour.

3 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.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
Sandwiches Products in the category "Sandwiches" are at least group 3.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 9 fish sandwiches

From least to most processed, this one ranks 6th. 78% of the fish 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 9 fish sandwiches, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 03054116, last edited 20 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 B (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.