Is Ketchup Ultra-Processed?

Why Ketchup scores It depends

Ketchup sits on a genuine dividing line between processed and ultra-processed food. The core recipe is simple — tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, salt, spices — and brands that stick to this formula score NOVA 3 (processed). But many manufacturers swap out expensive tomato concentration for cheaper modified starch as a thickener, and replace real spice extracts with synthetic 'flavouring'. These substitutions are what tip a product from NOVA 3 into NOVA 4.

Heinz Tomato Ketchup uses 148g of tomatoes per 100g of ketchup (concentrated down), with spirit vinegar, sugar, salt, and spice and herb extracts. There is no modified starch, no flavouring, no preservatives. This is a processed food — cooked, mixed, bottled — but not ultra-processed.

Tesco Tomato Ketchup takes a different approach: tomato purée thickened with modified maize starch, plus 'flavouring' and onion/garlic powder. Modified maize starch is a chemically altered ingredient that does not exist in domestic kitchens — it is a clear UPF marker. The addition of unspecified 'flavouring' confirms NOVA 4.

Stockwell & Co (Tesco's budget range) goes further: fructose as a sweetener alongside sugar, modified maize starch, citric acid, and 'flavouring'. Daddies adds modified cornflour plus two preservatives (potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate) and 'natural cassia flavour'.

At the clean end, Stokes Real Tomato Ketchup uses 200g of tomatoes per 100g, unrefined cane sugar, plain cornflour (not modified), and sea salt. Plain cornflour is a kitchen-cupboard ingredient — it is the 'modified' prefix that matters.

The pattern is clear: brands that invest in more tomato can keep the recipe simple. Brands that use less tomato need modified starch and flavourings to compensate for the missing body and taste.