Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Waitrose Mushroom wellington ultra-processed?

Meat analogues Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Waitrose Mushroom wellington

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:

  • 39 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed meat analogues

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 carbonate, folic acid, iron, niacin, thiamin), water, portobello mushrooms 12%, palm oil, mushrooms 11%, onion, brown rice, shallots, mixed seeds 3% (sunflower, pumpkin), rapeseed oil, spinach, sugar, salt, dried porcini mushrooms, yeast extract, oats, herbs, stabilisers (methylcellulose, guar gum), garlic purée, spices, maltodextrin, potato starch, preservative (potassium sorbate), coconut, sunflower oil, onion, parsnip, yeast

Additives: E202 Potassium sorbate , E412 Guar gum , E461 Methyl cellulose

As written on the pack

Wheat flour (wheat flour, calcium carbonate, folic acid, iron, niacin, thiamin), water, portobello mushrooms (12%), palm oil (certified sustainable), mushrooms (11%), diced onion, brown rice, shallots, mixed seeds (3%) (sunflower, pumpkin), rapeseed oil, spinach, sugar, salt, dried porcini mushrooms, yeast extract, oats, herbs, stabilisers (methylcellulose, guar gum), garlic purée, spices, maltodextrin, potato starch, preservative (potassium sorbate), coconut extract, sunflower oil, onion powder, parsnip, yeast

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.

  • E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.
  • E461 Methyl cellulose 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.

  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down 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.
  • 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.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 512 meat analogues

From least to most processed, this one ranks 258th. 80% of the meat analogues 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 512 meat analogues, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000169614860, last edited 25 May 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 D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.