Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco Wafer Thin Oak Smoked Ham ultra-processed?

120 g Hams Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Tesco Wafer Thin Oak Smoked 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:

  • 13 ingredients
  • 7 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed 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 98%, Mineral Sea Salt, Brown Sugar, Stabilisers (Potassium Triphosphate, Sodium Triphosphate, Tetrapotassium Diphosphate), Antioxidant (Sodium Ascorbate), Preservative (Sodium Nitrite), Made using British pork, STORAGE Keep refrigerated

Additives: E250 Sodium nitrite , E301 Sodium ascorbate , E450 Diphosphates , E450v Tetrapotassium diphosphate , E451 Triphosphates , E451i Pentasodium triphosphate , E451ii Pentapotassium triphosphate

As written on the pack

Pork (98%), Mineral Sea Salt, Brown Sugar, Stabilisers (Potassium Triphosphate, Sodium Triphosphate, Tetrapotassium Diphosphate), Antioxidant (Sodium Ascorbate), Preservative (Sodium Nitrite). Made using British pork. STORAGE Keep refrigerated.

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.

  • E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
  • 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.
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.
  • 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.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 223 hams

From least to most processed, this one ranks 155th. 65% of the 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 223 hams, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5059697729720, last edited 8 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.