Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Waitrose Oyster Sauce ultra-processed?

Oyster sauces Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Waitrose Oyster Sauce

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:

  • 19 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed oyster sauces

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, oyster 28% (water, oysters, salt), sugar, modified tapioca starch, acidity regulator (lactic acid), colour (plain caramel), soya sauce 0.5% (water, soya beans, wheat, salt), salt, preservative (potassium sorbate)

Additives: E150a Plain caramel , E202 Potassium sorbate , E270 Lactic acid

As written on the pack

Water, oyster extract (28%) (water, oysters (mollusc), salt), sugar,modified tapioca starch, acidity regulator (lactic acid), colour (plain caramel), soya sauce extract (0.5%) (water, soya beans, wheat, salt), salt, preservative (potassium sorbate)

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.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 13 oyster sauces

From least to most processed, this one ranks 8th. 77% of the oyster sauces 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 13 oyster sauces, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000169624609, 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 E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.