Is Waitrose Strawberry jam ultra-processed?

Strawberry jams Sold in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Gelling agent
E440 Pectins

8 ingredients
2 additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed strawberry jams

Strawberry Jam Bonne Maman 2 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Organic Reduced Sugar Strawberry Preserves Trader Joe's 5 ingredients · 1 additive NOVA group 3
Björkhimlen Jordgubbssylt Björkhimlen 2 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Ekologisk Jordgubbssylt Torfolk Gård 6 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3

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

Sugar (processing marker), strawberries, acid (citric acid), gelling agent (ultra-processing marker) (pectin (ultra-processing marker)), acidity regulator (sodium trates)

Additives: E330 Citric acid , E440 Pectins

As written on the pack

Sugar, strawberries, acid (citric acid), gelling agent (pectin), acidity regulator (sodium trates). Prepared with 45g of fruit per 100g. Total sugar content 63g per 100g

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.

E440 Pectins Pectins are gelling agents extracted from citrus peel or apple pomace.
Gelling agent Gelling agents such as pectin, gelatine or carrageenan set liquids into gels and stabilise textures.

1 ingredient that would only make it processed

Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.

Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 85 strawberry jams

From least to most processed, this one ranks 55th. 95% of the strawberry jams 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 85 strawberry jams, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000169003022, last edited 4 August 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.