Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Waitrose Rose Harissa Paste ultra-processed?

Harissa sauces Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Waitrose Rose Harissa Paste

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:

  • 20 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed harissa 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

red pepper 52%, water, Smoked paprika 3%, onion, garlic purée, Sugar, balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, rapeseed oil, concentrated lemon juice, salt, rose petals 0.5%, coriander, cumin, colour (paprika extract), mint, caraway, pepper, chillies

Additives: E160c Paprika extract

As written on the pack

Puréed roasted red pepper (52%), water, Smoked paprika (3%), onion purée, roasted garlic purée, Sugar, balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, rapeseed oil, concentrated lemon juice, salt, dried rose petals (0.5%), ground coriander, ground cumin, colour (paprika extract), dried mint, ground caraway, ground pepper, dried chillies

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.

  • E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
2 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.

  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 17 harissa sauces

From least to most processed, this one ranks 15th. 65% of the harissa 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 17 harissa sauces, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000169251492, 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.