Is Waitrose Salt beef & mustard mayo ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- Dextrose
- Emulsifier
- Glucose
- E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids
- E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids
- 41 ingredients
- 5 additives
- Nutri-Score C
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Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
Wheat flour (wheat flour, calcium carbonate, iron, niacin, thiamin), water, beef 18% (beef, salt (processing marker), dextrose (ultra-processing marker), antioxidant (sodium ascorbate), preservative (processing marker) (sodium nitrite (processing marker))), rye flour, rapeseed oil, red cabbage, rocket, gherkins, white wine vinegar, sugar (processing marker), spirit vinegar, wheat protein, malted barley flour, salt (processing marker), mustard flour, pasteurised free range egg yolk, yeast, cornflour, emulsifiers (ultra-processing marker) (mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (ultra-processing marker), mono- and diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (ultra-processing marker)), mustard, turmeric, concentrated lemon juice, flour treatment agent (ascorbic acid), palm fat, palm oil, wheat flour
Additives: E250 Sodium nitrite , E300 Ascorbic acid , E301 Sodium ascorbate , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids
As written on the pack
Wheat flour (wheat flour, calcium carbonate, iron, niacin, thiamin), water, cured beef (18%) (beef, salt, dextrose, antioxidant (sodium ascorbate), preservative (sodium nitrite)), rye flour, rapeseed oil, red cabbage, rocket, gherkins (contains barley), white wine vinegar, sugar, spirit vinegar, wheat protein, malted barley flour, salt, mustard flour, pasteurised free range egg yolk, yeast, cornflour, emulsifiers (mono - and diglycerides of fatty acids, mono - and diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono - and diglycerides of fatty acids), mustard bran, ground turmeric, concentrated lemon juice, flour treatment agent (ascorbic acid), palm fat (certified Sustainable), palm oil (certified sustainable), wheat flour
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.
- E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
- E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids 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.
- Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.
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.
5 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.
- E250 Sodium nitrite 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.
- Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
- Sandwiches Products in the category "Sandwiches" are at least group 3.
Among 324 sandwiches
From least to most processed, this one ranks 217th. 82% of the sandwiches here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000169489659, last edited 12 July 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.