Is Waitrose Olive Spread ultra-processed?

500 g Margarines 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:

Flavouring
Whey
E322 Lecithins
E401 Sodium alginate
E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

19 ingredients
6 additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed margarines

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

Water, olive oil 21%, rapeseed oil, palm oil, salt 1.1%, whey powder (ultra-processing marker), mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (ultra-processing marker), sunflower lecithin (ultra-processing marker), sodium alginate (ultra-processing marker), potassium sorbate, lactic acid, vitamin B6, flavouring (ultra-processing marker), carotenes, folic acid, vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B12

Additives: E202 Potassium sorbate , E270 Lactic acid , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E401 Sodium alginate , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

As written on the pack

Water, olive oil 21%, rapeseed oil, palm oil, salt 1.1%, whey powder, mono - and diglycerides of fatty acids, sunflower lecithin, sodium alginate, potassium sorbate, lactic acid, vitamin B6, flavouring, carotenes, folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B12

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.

E322 Lecithins Lecithins are fatty substances extracted mostly from soybeans, sunflower seeds or eggs, used as emulsifiers to keep fat and water mixed, for example in chocolate.
E401 Sodium alginate A food additive used to dissolve, dilute, disperse or otherwise physically modify a food additive or nutrient without altering its function -and without exerting any technological effect itself- in order to facilitate its handling, application or use of the food additive or nutrient.
E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

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.

Whey Whey is the liquid left over from cheese making, usually dried into a powder and used as a cheap source of milk solids, protein and lactose.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 184 margarines

From least to most processed, this one ranks 160th. 85% of the margarines 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 184 margarines, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000169036440, last edited 27 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 D (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.