Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Waitrose Caesar Dressing ultra-processed?

Salad dressings Sold in the United Kingdom and France

Pack of Waitrose Caesar Dressing

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:

  • 24 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed salad dressings

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

Rapeseed oil, water, spirit vinegar, sugar, pasteurised free range egg yolk, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, extra virgin olive oil 2%, garlic purée, modified maize starch, salt, dried onion, lemon, black pepper, anchovy, barley malt vinegar, potassium sorbate, cane molasses, onion powder, garlic powder, tamarind, ground ginger, olive oil, chilli powder ALLERGY ADVICE, including cereals containing gluten

Additives: E202 Potassium sorbate

As written on the pack

Rapeseed oil, water, spirit vinegar, sugar, pasteurised free range egg yolk, Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese (milk) (4%), extra virgin olive oil (2.0%), garlic purée, modified maize starch, salt, dried onion powder, lemon concentrate, black pepper, anchovy (fish), barley malt vinegar, preservative (potassium sorbate), cane molasses, onion powder, garlic powder, tamarind concentrate, ground ginger, olive oil, chilli powder ALLERGY ADVICE: For allergens, including cereals containing gluten, see ingredients in bold

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.

  • Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.
6 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.

  • E202 Potassium sorbate 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.
  • 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.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 252 salad dressings

From least to most processed, this one ranks 64th. 85% of the salad dressings 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 252 salad dressings, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000169135211, last edited 23 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.