Tomato ketchup is one of those reassuringly useful foods that can rescue a meal when a child, or adult, is feeling particularly unconvinced by what has appeared on their plate. Unfortunately, finding non-UPF ketchup in the UK is less straightforward than it sounds.
Non-UPF Ketchup
A bottle may feature tomatoes prominently on the label but also contain flavourings, modified starches, sweeteners, stabilisers or highly processed extracts. The front of the packaging rarely gives you the complete answer to whether your tomato sauce is a UPF free ketchup or not.
There are now several ketchups currently sold in the UK that have short, recognisable ingredient lists. These include a new M&S product made from eight ingredients, the traditional Tiptree recipe and an unsweetened option from Hunter & Gather. We have tried them and thought it would be useful to share five of the clearest choices, along with the ingredients worth watching and a simple homemade ketchup recipe.
Finding UPF Free Ketchup
Is Tomato Ketchup Ultra-Processed?
Some tomato ketchups are ultra-processed, but ketchup does not automatically fall into this category.
At its simplest, tomato ketchup can be made from:
- Tomatoes
- Vinegar
- Sugar
- Salt
- Onion
- Garlic
- Culinary herbs and spices
Cooking tomatoes, blending a sauce and putting it into a bottle are all forms of processing. Processing alone, however, does not make food ultra-processed.
Ultra-processed foods are generally industrial formulations containing ingredients or additives that would not normally be used in a domestic kitchen. These might include emulsifiers, artificial sweeteners, modified starches, colours and certain types of flavouring.
There is still disagreement about how individual products should be classified. The British Nutrition Foundation notes that NOVA is the most frequently used UPF classification system, but that it is not universally agreed and can be difficult to apply consistently.
This is why two people can inspect the same ketchup and reach different conclusions, particularly when the recipe contains spice extracts or natural flavourings.
What Makes Ketchup Non-UPF?
The clearest non-UPF ketchup will have a recipe that could realistically be recreated in an ordinary kitchen.
Look for familiar ingredients such as:
- Tomatoes or tomato purée
- Vinegar
- Sugar, honey or another ordinary sweetening ingredient
- Salt
- Onion
- Garlic
- Paprika
- Pepper
- Cloves
- Other named herbs and spices
The number of ingredients is less important than what those ingredients are. A ketchup containing tomatoes, vinegar, sugar and seven culinary spices may be easier to classify than a product with only six headline ingredients if one of those ingredients is an industrial flavouring mixture.
You may wish to be more cautious when a recipe includes:
- Artificial sweeteners
- Modified starch
- Maltodextrin
- Flavourings
- Smoke flavouring
- Colouring
- Emulsifiers
- Stabilising gums
- Protein isolates
- Highly formulated fibre ingredients
An unfamiliar name does not automatically make an ingredient problematic. Equally, words such as “natural” and “organic” do not guarantee that a product is non-UPF.
Non-UPF Ketchup: The Quick Comparison
Recipes, availability and prices can change, so I’d suggest you inspect the bottle or read the ingreidnets online before buying.
| Product | Why It Stands Out | Where To Buy |
|---|---|---|
| M&S Only 8 Ingredients Tomato Ketchup | Short, particularly clear recipe | M&S and Ocado |
| Tiptree Tomato Ketchup | Traditional ingredients and named spices | Ocado, farm shops and independent retailers |
| Sauce Shop Tomato Ketchup | No listed additives or flavourings | Sauce Shop and selected retailers |
| Hunter & Gather Unsweetened Ketchup | No added sugar or sweetener | Ocado, Amazon and direct |
| Heinz Organic Tomato Ketchup | Familiar supermarket option with a simpler recipe | Major supermarkets and Ocado |
These products are presented as some of the least ambiguous options rather than as a nutritional ranking. Sugar, salt, price and personal taste still deserve consideration.
M&S Only 8 Ingredients Tomato Ketchup
M&S currently offers one of the clearest mainstream supermarket options.
Its Only 8 Ingredients Tomato Ketchup contains:
- Tomato purée (38%)
- Agave syrup (22%)
- Water
- Vinegar
- Salt
- Paprika
- White pepper
- Cloves
There are no listed flavourings, sweeteners, modified starches, stabilisers or preservatives. The ingredients could all be used in a homemade sauce, making this a relatively straightforward product for anyone attempting to avoid ultra-processed food. M&S introduced the wider Only Ingredients range to provide products made from familiar ingredients without unnecessary additives.
Agave syrup is still a source of free sugar. Its presence does not necessarily make the ketchup ultra-processed, but it also does not give the product a little bit of a nutritional advantage over ketchup sweetened with ordinary sugar.
Tiptree Tomato Ketchup
Tiptree Tomato Ketchup has one of the most traditional recipes. This UPF free ketchup lists tomatoes, sugar, wine or spirit vinegar, lemon juice, salt and ground spices. The recipe uses a substantial quantity of tomatoes, approximately 180g for every 100g of finished ketchup.
Its spices are identified as ordinary ground culinary ingredients rather than unspecified flavourings.
Tiptree has published details for both its earlier and updated recipes. Each remains comparatively simple, although it is sensible to check the label in case bottles from different production periods are being sold. This is a good choice for someone who wants a traditional sweet ketchup without emulsifiers, artificial sweeteners or modified starch.
Sauce Shop Tomato Ketchup
Sauce Shop Tomato Ketchup contains:
- Tomato (53%)
- Sugar
- Onion
- White grape vinegar
- Salt
- Garlic
- Spices
The company lists no preservatives, stabilisers, artificial sweeteners or flavourings in the recipe. People have found Sauce Shop sauces in budget supermarkets like Aldi, and also if you buy direct from Sauce Shop, you can get online discounts for purchasing multiple products.
Hunter & Gather Unsweetened Tomato Ketchup
Hunter & Gather offers an unsweetened ketchup containing:
- Tomato
- Apple cider vinegar
- White balsamic vinegar
- Pink Himalayan salt
- Onion
- Garlic
- Spices
There is no added sugar, date syrup or artificial sweetener.
The absence of sweetener gives it a sharper, more savoury flavour than conventional ketchup. Kids accustomed to a sweet sauce may notice the difference immediately, so buying a single bottle before stocking up would be sensible. Our kids did notice a difference, but as they aren’t huge ketchup eaters, it didn’t bother them.
“No added sugar” does not automatically mean that a product is non-UPF. In this case, however, the remaining recipe is also straightforward, with no listed gums, modified starches or flavourings. This may suit people who want to reduce their free-sugar intake without replacing sugar with sucralose or another high-intensity sweetener.
Heinz Organic Tomato Ketchup
Heinz Organic Tomato Ketchup is worth considering if you want a familiar brand with a relatively simple recipe.
Its listed ingredients include:
- Tomatoes
- Sugar
- Spirit vinegar
- Salt
- Spices, including celery
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
The product uses approximately 180g of tomatoes for every 100g of finished ketchup.
Unlike standard Heinz Tomato Ketchup, the organic version does not list spice and herb extracts in its current Ocado ingredients. This makes its recipe less ambiguous for someone taking a cautious approach to UPF. It does list spices, so you would need to decide for yourself if this places it in the UPF free ketchup category or not. Organic certification and UPF classification measure different things. It is the complete ingredient list, not the word “organic”, that makes this particular product worth examining.
Is Standard Heinz Ketchup Ultra-Processed?
Standard Heinz Tomato Ketchup sits in a grey area. Its familiar recipe includes tomatoes, spirit vinegar, sugar and salt. However, it also lists spice and herb extracts.
Most UPF guides treat culinary extracts as ingredients associated with industrial formulation. Others consider the overall recipe sufficiently close to traditional ketchup to place it outside the UPF category. This is a classification question rather than evidence that an occasional serving is harmful.
If you want to remove as much uncertainty as possible, choose a ketchup using named ground spices instead of extracts. M&S Only 8 Ingredients, Tiptree and Sauce Shop are clearer from that perspective.
If your aim is simply to reduce your overall intake of highly formulated foods, you may decide that standard ketchup is not the most important product to replace. Frequency, quantity and the rest of your diet also matter.
What About Stokes and Dr Will’s?
Stokes Real Tomato Ketchup has a relatively short recipe and a high tomato content. It also contains cornflour and a seasoning mixture that includes spice and onion extracts. Cornflour is an ordinary kitchen ingredient and does not automatically make food ultra-processed. The extracts introduce more uncertainty for someone applying a strict interpretation.
Dr Will’s Tomato Ketchup uses tomatoes, apple vinegar, date syrup, onion, apple purée, garlic, spices and salt. It also contains chicory-root fibre and paprika extract as a natural colour. This may still suit someone trying to reduce artificial additives, but it is less clear than the other products I mentioned further up.
Neither product needs to be described as “bad”. They simply require more interpretation than ketchup made entirely from recognisable culinary ingredients.
Does No Added Sugar Mean Non-UPF?
No. A ketchup can contain no added sugar while relying on sweeteners, flavourings, modified starches or fibre ingredients to reproduce the sweetness and texture of the conventional product.
For example, some reduced-sugar sauces use sucralose or another high-intensity sweetener. These products may contain less sugar but are not necessarily a clearer choice from a UPF perspective.
The reverse is also true. A ketchup containing ordinary sugar can still have a traditional, non-UPF-style recipe.
If you are considering both processing and nutrition, check:
- The complete ingredient list
- Sugar per 100g
- Salt per 100g
- The portion you normally use
- How frequently you serve it
A tablespoon of ketchup is very different from covering most of a meal in sauce.
What to Look For on the Label
Begin with the back of the bottle rather than the claims on the front.
Check the complete ingredients
Look for a recipe based on tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, salt, onion, garlic and culinary spices.
Expand bracketed ingredients
A seasoning may appear to be one ingredient but contain several additives within brackets.
Do not rely on tomato percentage alone
A high tomato content can be a positive quality indicator, but it tells you nothing about the remaining ingredients.
Treat “natural” cautiously
Natural flavourings and colours can still be manufactured ingredients used to formulate an industrial product.
Check for recipe changes
Manufacturers can reformulate products without changing the name or overall appearance of the packaging.
Compare like with like
A sweeter ketchup will naturally contain more sugar than an unsweetened sauce. Decide which characteristic matters most to your household.
Is Non-UPF Ketchup Healthy?
A short ingredient list does not make ketchup nutritionally perfect. Many traditional ketchups contain a noticeable quantity of sugar and salt. They are generally eaten in small portions, but those portions can become much larger when sauce is poured freely from a bottle.
The NHS recommends that adults consume no more than 30g of free sugars a day. The recommended maximum is lower for children: 24g for ages seven to ten, 19g for ages four to six and 14g for ages two to three.
Adults should have no more than 6g of salt a day. Recommended limits are lower for younger children.
This does not mean ketchup needs to disappear from family meals. It can help make unfamiliar foods more approachable and add flavour to simple dishes.
Useful ways to keep portions reasonable include:
- Serving a spoonful rather than placing the bottle on the table
- Using a small dipping dish
- Alternating ketchup with yoghurt-based or homemade vegetable dips
- Mixing ketchup through a sauce instead of adding a large quantity on top
- Comparing sugar and salt between products
UPF classification is only one way to assess food. Nutritional content, cost, convenience, allergies and enjoyment are all relevant too.
An Easy Homemade Tomato Ketchup Recipe
Homemade ketchup provides complete control over the recipe and lets you adjust the sweetness.
This version will not taste exactly like a commercial bottle. It has a fresher tomato flavour and a slightly less uniform texture.
Ingredients
- 500g ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar or honey, optional
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground paprika
- A pinch of ground cloves
- A pinch of black pepper
- 1 tablespoon water, if needed
Method
- Place the tomatoes, onion and garlic in a saucepan.
- Add the vinegar, sugar or honey, salt, paprika, cloves and pepper.
- Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
- Cook uncovered over a low heat for approximately 35–45 minutes.
- Stir regularly and add a splash of water if the mixture begins to catch.
- When the vegetables are soft and the sauce has thickened, remove the pan from the heat.
- Allow it to cool slightly before blending carefully until smooth.
- Press the sauce through a sieve if you prefer a finer texture.
- Return it to the pan briefly if it needs further thickening.
- Cool promptly and transfer it to a clean, lidded container.
- Refrigerate and use within five days.
Hot liquids can expand when blended. Follow your blender’s instructions, work in small quantities and avoid sealing very hot liquid inside an unsuitable jug.
This recipe has not been created for keeping at room temperature. I suggest you keep it refrigerated until you finish it.
Homemade Ketchup Variations
Sweeter Ketchup
Add another teaspoon of sugar or honey after tasting. Avoid making a large adjustment before the sauce has reduced because its flavour becomes more concentrated.
Smoky Ketchup
Use a small quantity of smoked paprika. Ordinary smoked paprika provides flavour without requiring bottled smoke flavouring.
Spiced Ketchup
Add a tiny pinch of cinnamon, allspice or ground coriander.
Apple and Tomato Ketchup
Replace approximately 100g of tomatoes with peeled cooking apple. The apple adds sweetness and helps thicken the sauce.
Roasted Tomato Ketchup
Roast the tomatoes, onion and garlic before simmering them with the remaining ingredients. This creates a deeper flavour but takes longer.
How Long Does Homemade Ketchup Last?
A simple homemade ketchup does not have the manufacturing controls or packaging used for a commercial sauce.
Keep it:
- In a clean, tightly covered container
- In the fridge
- Away from raw meat and other contamination
- No longer than five days
- Labelled with the preparation date
Discard the sauce if it develops mould, bubbles unexpectedly, smells fermented or looks otherwise looks a bit unusual.
Freezing is a better option if you have made too much. Portion the ketchup into a freezer-safe container or an ice-cube tray and leave space for expansion. Defrost it in the fridge and stir well before serving.
Always follow the storage instructions on a shop-bought bottle. Some ketchup must be refrigerated after opening, even if unopened bottles are stored in a cupboard.
Easy Ways to Use Tomato Ketchup
Ketchup can be useful beyond serving it beside chips.
Try adding a small quantity to:
- Homemade baked beans
- Sausage casseroles
- Lentil bolognese
- Cottage pie
- Bean or beef burgers
- Meatloaf
- Barbecue-style marinades
- Tomato pasta sauce
- Pizza-toast topping
- Egg sandwiches
- Cheese toasties – take a look at my guide to UPF free bread
- Vegetable fritters
- Homemade burger sauce
- Sweet-and-sour sauce
If you are trying to keep a complete meal non-UPF, remember to check the other ingredients separately. A simple ketchup does not change the classification of a highly formulated sausage, burger, wrap or loaf of bread.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can ketchup really be non-UPF?
Yes. Ketchup made from tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, salt and ordinary seasonings can fit a non-UPF approach. Bottling and cooking the sauce do not automatically make it ultra-processed.
Which supermarket sells the clearest non-UPF ketchup?
M&S Only 8 Ingredients Tomato Ketchup is one of the clearest mainstream choices currently available. Its recipe contains tomato purée, agave syrup, water, vinegar, salt and three ground spices.
Is Heinz ketchup UPF?
Standard Heinz ketchup is debated because it contains spice and herb extracts. Heinz Organic currently has a less ambiguous recipe based on tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, salt, spices, onion powder and garlic powder.
Is Tiptree ketchup non-UPF?
Its published recipe contains tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and ordinary ground spices. This is consistent with a traditional non-UPF ketchup recipe.
Is tomato purée ultra-processed?
Plain tomato purée made from concentrated tomatoes is processed but not normally considered ultra-processed. Check that the product does not contain additional flavourings or formulated ingredients.
Is agave syrup ultra-processed?
Agave syrup is a processed sweetening ingredient and a source of free sugar. Its classification can depend on how the product was manufactured, but its presence alone is not sufficient to classify the complete ketchup. Anyone wanting the least ambiguous recipe may prefer ordinary sugar or an unsweetened product.
Is sugar-free ketchup always better?
Not necessarily. It may contain less sugar but use sweeteners or other formulated ingredients instead. “Better” depends on your nutritional needs, priorities and the complete recipe.
Can children eat non-UPF ketchup?
Ketchup can be included in a varied family diet, but check the sugar and salt content and serve a modest, age-appropriate quantity. Babies and very young children do not need salty sauces added to their meals.
Can homemade ketchup be stored in a cupboard?
Not using the simple recipe above. It should be kept refrigerated and used within five days. Safe room-temperature preserving requires a properly tested canning recipe and the correct equipment.
UPF Free Ketchup
The clearest non-UPF ketchup currently available from a major UK supermarket is M&S Only 8 Ingredients Tomato Ketchup. Tiptree and Sauce Shop also have traditional recipes made from familiar ingredients. Hunter & Gather provides an unsweetened alternative, while Heinz Organic is a convenient option from a widely available brand.
Standard Heinz, Stokes and Dr Will’s sit in a more debatable area because their recipes contain extracts, formulated fibres or natural colours. That does not make them inherently harmful, but it makes their UPF classification less straightforward.
Check every label before buying because recipes change. Look beyond claims such as “natural”, “organic” and “no added sugar” and concentrate on the complete ingredient list.
If none of the shop-bought options suits you, homemade tomato ketchup is surprisingly manageable. It will not last as long or taste exactly like a commercial sauce, but you will know precisely what went into it.