Is Watties Spaghetti in Tomato Sauce ultra-processed?

420 g Bolognese-style pasta Sold in Australia and New Zealand

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Flavouring

12 ingredients
1 additive
Nutri-Score C

Less processed bolognese-style pasta

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

tomato sauce (processing marker) 50% (tomatoes 45%, sugar (processing marker), salt (processing marker), cheese paste, flavours (ultra-processing marker), spices, food acid (citric acid)), spaghetti 50% (water, wheat flour)

Additives: E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

tomato sauce (50%) (tomatoes (45%), sugar, salt, cheese paste, flavours, spices, food acid (citric acid)), spaghetti (50%) (water, 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.

Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

4 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.

Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 13 bolognese-style pasta

From least to most processed, this one ranks 4th. 77% of the bolognese-style pasta 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 bolognese-style pasta, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 9400547001811, last edited 17 May 2025), 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.