Yes — Plant Chef rich tomato & basil soup is ultra-processed.
The product is classified as ultra-processed because it contains modified maize starch, which is an industrially processed ingredient used as a thickener/stabilizer and is treated as a UPF component under NOVA. Other ingredients like tomato purée, tomato, sugar, rapeseed oil, herbs, salt, and spices are not UPF on their own, but the presence of modified maize starch is sufficient to classify the overall product as UPF.
Similar products that aren't ultra-processed — swap and keep the flavour.
Other ready meals Nomi has checked — these ones aren't ultra-processed.
chunky country vegetable soup
M&S
Not UPF
Silky Tomato & Red Pepper with Wensleydale
Yorkshire Provender
Not UPF
Organic baked beans
Not UPF
Chunky Mexican-style Chilli & Bean Soup
Marks & Spencer, M&S
Not UPF
Soup
Sainsbury's
Not UPF
rustic vegetable soup
Yorkshire provender
Not UPF
Spicy Tomato & Lentil Souper Soup
M&S Food
Not UPF
Carrot & Coriander
Tesco
Not UPF
Cream Of Tomato Soup
M&S
Not UPF
Hearty leek, potato & Cheddar
Yeo Valley
Not UPF
Yes — Plant Chef rich tomato & basil 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 an industrially processed ingredient used as a thickener/stabilizer and is treated as a UPF component under NOVA. Other ingredients like tomato purée, tomato, sugar, rapeseed oil, herbs, salt, and spices are not UPF on their own, but the presence of modified maize starch is sufficient to classify the overall product as UPF.
Nomi flags one ingredient in Plant Chef rich tomato & basil 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 Cream of tomato soup by M&S, Cream of Tomato Soup by Yeo Valley. 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.