Is Worldwide Foods Lentil Bolognese ultra-processed?

250g Microwave meals Sold in the United Kingdom

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Colour
E160c Paprika extract
E412 Guar gum

23 ingredients
2 additives
Nutri-Score A

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

brown lentils 63% (Water, Brown Lentils), pea protein 7%, Tomato Paste, Tomato, mushrooms 4%, onion 3%, Tomato Juice, Basil, Garlic Purée, Sugar (processing marker), Sunflower Oil (processing marker), Mushrooms, Onion, Parsley, Salt (processing marker), Colour (ultra-processing marker) (Paprika Extract (ultra-processing marker)), Dried Oregano, Stabiliser (Guar Gum (ultra-processing marker)), Garlic

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E412 Guar gum

As written on the pack

COOKED BROWN LENTILS (63%) (Water, Brown Lentils), PEA PROTEIN (7%), Tomato Paste, Tomato, MUSHROOMS (4%), ONION (3%), Tomato Juice, Basil, Garlic Purée, Sugar, Sunflower Oil, Dried Mushrooms, Onion Powder, Parsley, Salt, Colour: Paprika Extract; Dried Oregano, Stabiliser: Guar Gum; Garlic Powder.

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.

E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.
Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.

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.
Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 351 microwave meals

From least to most processed, this one ranks 228th. 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 4061463885388, last edited 4 June 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 A (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.