Tesco is ramping up its crackdown on ultra-processed foods, with 114 additives now banned or restricted across its own-brand ranges.
It has expanded the number of additives covered by its own-brand policy from 65 last year to 114, to simplify ingredients and respond to growing customer concerns around processed food.
Artificial colours, aspartame and monosodium glutamate are among the ingredients banned outright from Tesco own-brand products, while other additives, including mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, face restrictions and have been prioritised for further work with suppliers.
The company said its own research found 81 per cent of customers are trying to reduce the amount of ultra-processed food they consume, but shoppers can find the issue difficult to navigate.
Tesco head of healthy and sustainable diets Alice Ritchie said: “Health needs are reshaping the way people shop,” adding that concerns around UPFs had moved “beyond trend territory”.
Tesco said it would continue working with suppliers to reformulate products, with its guidelines calling for familiar “kitchen cupboard” ingredients to be used wherever possible and additives kept to the minimum required for areas such as food safety, shelf life and quality.
It has also added a filter to its online grocery platform allowing shoppers to search for products without additives, alongside existing dietary, lifestyle and allergen filters.
The decision forms part of Tesco’s broader push to encourage healthier diets. The retailer said 65 per cent of its UK and Republic of Ireland food sales are now classified as healthy, while fruit and vegetable sales have risen 10 per cent since 2022.
Tesco has continued to reformulate its own-brand range by reducing fat, salt and sugar while increasing ingredients including vegetables, protein and fibre.
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