Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Woolworths Spaghetti Bolognese ultra-processed?

375g Spaghetti Sold in Australia

Pack of Woolworths Spaghetti 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:

  • 22 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed spaghetti

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

Bolognese Sauce 60% (Tomato (Partially Reconstituted Paste, Diced), Beef 13%, Vegetables (Onion, Carrot, Celery), Thickener (1422), Sugar, Parmesan Cheese, Salt, Garlic, Basil, Yeast Extract, Oregano), Spaghetti 38% (Water, Durum Wheat Semolina), Parmesan Cheese

Additives: E1422 Acetylated distarch adipate

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E1422 Acetylated distarch adipate.

As written on the pack

Bolognese Sauce (60%) (Tomato (Partially Reconstituted Paste, Diced), Beef (13%), Vegetables (Onion, Carrot, Celery), Thickener (1422), Sugar, Parmesan Cheese (Milk), Salt, Garlic, Basil, Yeast Extract, Oregano), Cooked Spaghetti (38%) (Water, Durum Wheat Semolina), Parmesan Cheese (Milk).

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.

  • E1422 Acetylated distarch adipate Acetylated distarch adipate is a chemically modified starch that holds up to heating, freezing and acidity, used to thicken sauces and fillings.
  • Thickener Thickeners, often gums or modified starches, make liquids more viscous so that a product feels richer than its ingredients alone would make it.
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.

  • 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.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 81 spaghetti

From least to most processed, this one ranks 79th. 19% of the spaghetti 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 81 spaghetti, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 9339687137282, last edited 24 May 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.