Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Waitrose Beef Bourguignon ultra-processed?

Beef dishes Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Waitrose Beef Bourguignon

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:

  • 50 ingredients
  • 8 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed beef dishes

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

Beef 31%, red wine 15%, water, button mushrooms, silverskin onion, onion, smoked bacon 4% (pork, salt, preservatives (sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite), antioxidant (sodium ascorbate)), celery, cornflour, rapeseed oil, garlic purée, tomato paste, yeast extract, potato starch, wheat flour (wheat flour, calcium carbonate, folic acid, iron, niacin, thiamin), thyme, brown sugar, sugar, unsalted butter, salt, gelling agent (pectin), parsley, beef fat, beef extract, rosemary, tomato concentrate, beef gelatine, colour (plain caramel), sodium bicarbonate, concentrated carrot juice, black pepper, bay leaf, carrot, redcurrant juice, concentrated lemon juice ALLERGY ADVICE

Additives: E150a Plain caramel , E250 Sodium nitrite , E251 Sodium nitrate , E301 Sodium ascorbate , E428 Gelatine , E440 Pectins , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate

As written on the pack

Beef (31%), red wine (15%), water, button mushrooms, silverskin onion, onion, smoked bacon (4%) (pork, salt, preservatives (sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite). antioxidant (sodium ascorbate)), celery, cornflour, rapeseed oil, garlic purée, tomato paste, yeast extract, potato starch, wheat flour (wheat flour, calcium carbonate, folic acid, iron, niacin, thiamin), thyme, brown sugar, sugar, unsalted butter (milk), salt, gelling agent (pectin), dried parsley, beef fat, beef extract, rosemary, tomato concentrate, beef gelatine, colour (plain caramel), sodium bicarbonate, concentrated carrot juice, black pepper, ground bay leaf, carrot, concentrated redcurrant juice, concentrated lemon juice ALLERGY ADVICE:

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.
  • E428 Gelatine Gelatine is a gelling agent made from collagen in animal skin and bones.
  • E440 Pectins Pectins are gelling agents extracted from citrus peel or apple pomace.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • Gelling agent Gelling agents such as pectin, gelatine or carrageenan set liquids into gels and stabilise textures.
8 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.
  • E251 Sodium 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.
  • Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
  • Butter Butter, the fat churned from cream.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • 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 69 beef dishes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 64th. 55% of the beef dishes 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 69 beef dishes, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000169608197, last edited 30 March 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.