Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Weight watchers Penne bolognese ultra-processed?

Microwave meals Sold in Ireland

Pack of Weight watchers Penne bolognese

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:

  • 40 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed microwave meals

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

Penne Pasta 33% (Durum Wheat Semolina, Water), Water, Beef 18%, Tomatoes, Tomato Purée, Onions, Mushrooms, Red Wine 2%, Garlic Purée, Modified Maize Starch, Fortified Wheat Flour (contains Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Tomato Juice, Sugar, Yeast Extract, Colour, Plain Caramel, Salt, Lemon Juice, Onion, Basil, Beef Stock (Beef Stock, Yeast Extract, Sugar, Sea Salt, Caramelised Sugar Syrup, Mushroom Extract, Red Wine Extract, Maize Starch, Flavourings, Black Pepper, Aniseed), Oregano, Black Pepper

Additives: E150a Plain caramel

As written on the pack

Cooked Penne Pasta (33%, Durum Wheat Semolina, Water), Water, Beef (18%), Tomatoes, Tomato Purée, Onions, Mushrooms, Red Wine (2%), Garlic Purée, Modified Maize Starch, Fortified Wheat Flour (contains Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Tomato Juice, Sugar, Yeast Extract, Colour - Plain Caramel, Salt, Lemon Juice, Onion Powder, Basil, Beef Stock (Beef Stock, Yeast Extract, Sugar, Sea Salt, Caramelised Sugar Syrup, Mushroom Extract, Red Wine Extract, Maize Starch, Flavourings, Black Pepper, Ground Aniseed), Oregano, Black Pepper.

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.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • 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.
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.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 351 microwave meals

From least to most processed, this one ranks 254th. 72% of the microwave meals 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 351 microwave meals, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5390003010898, last edited 2 April 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.