Yes — Tesco Vegetable Soup is ultra-processed.
The product is classified as ultra-processed because it contains modified maize starch, which is a pre-identified UPF ingredient, as well as refined sugar and added flavourings. These are industrial additives not used in home kitchens, making the soup an ultra-processed food under NOVA.
Similar products that aren't ultra-processed — swap and keep the flavour.
Other cupboard staples Nomi has checked — these ones aren't ultra-processed.
Covent garden soup
Covent Garden Soup Co
Not UPF
Mushroom Soup
New Covent Garden Soup Co
Not UPF
Tomato & Basil
New Covent Garden Soup Co.
Not UPF
Chicken and Lentil with Butternut Squash
Yorkshire Provender
Not UPF
Tesco Three Bean Chilli Soup
Tesco
Not UPF
Lentil Dhal Soup
Sainsbury's
Not UPF
Moroccan Spiced Chicken & Chickpea Soup
Sainsbury's Taste the Difference
Not UPF
Spiced Butternut soup
New Covent Garden Soup Co
Not UPF
Moroccan vegetable tagine soup
Yorkshire provender
Not UPF
Spiced Lentil & Tomato Soup
M&S
Not UPF
Yes — Tesco Vegetable Soup by Tesco is ultra-processed, so it counts as a UPF (ultra-processed food). The product is classified as ultra-processed because it contains modified maize starch, which is a pre-identified UPF ingredient, as well as refined sugar and added flavourings. These are industrial additives not used in home kitchens, making the soup an ultra-processed food under NOVA.
Nomi flags one ingredient in Tesco Vegetable Soup as an ultra-processed marker: modified maize starch. See the full ingredient breakdown above for what each one is.
Nomi has reviewed similar products that are not ultra-processed, including Vegetable soup by New Covent Garden, Hearty Cream of Vegetable by Yeo Valley, Hearty Root Vegetable with Pearl Barley by Yorkshire Provender. See the healthier alternatives above for details.
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are industrial formulations made with ingredients and additives you wouldn't find in a home kitchen — such as emulsifiers, artificial flavourings, colourings and modified starches. The classification is based on the NOVA system used by researchers and dietitians worldwide.
Scan any barcode — or photograph the ingredients label — with the free Nomi app for iOS and Android. You'll get an instant ultra-processed verdict with every ingredient explained in plain English.
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Product information comes from public databases and Nomi's own analysis, and may contain errors. Always check the packaging. Ultra-processed classification is based on the NOVA food processing system.