Tesco has banned or restricted 114 additives across its own-brand food ranges, up from 65 a year ago, in what the UK’s largest grocer describes as a response to customers who want fewer ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and simpler ingredient lists. The Grocer first reported the expanded policy on 10 September, and Retail Gazette, Just Food and the Mirror carried the details on the morning of 11 September. Artificial colours, aspartame and monosodium glutamate are now barred outright from Tesco own-label products, while a further group of additives, including mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, is restricted and has been prioritised for reformulation work with suppliers.
The move matters beyond Tesco’s own shelves. With roughly 28% of Britain’s grocery spend by Kantar’s regular share measure, Tesco sets the terms that thousands of own-label suppliers must meet, and its decision to publish a longer list of banned ingredients, add an “additive-free” filter to its online shop and frame the change in UPF language pushes a scientific debate that Whitehall has so far declined to settle directly onto the supermarket shelf.
In short
- 114 additives are now banned or restricted in Tesco own-brand food, up from 65 last year, a rise of 49 in twelve months, according to The Grocer and Retail Gazette.
- Banned outright: artificial colours, aspartame and monosodium glutamate. Restricted: mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, which suppliers are being asked to reformulate out first.
- 81% of Tesco customers say they are trying to cut ultra-processed food, per research commissioned by the retailer, but many find the topic hard to navigate.
- A new online filter lets Tesco.com shoppers screen out products containing additives, alongside existing dietary, lifestyle and allergen filters.
- 65% of Tesco’s UK and Ireland food sales are now classed as healthy, a target it hit at the end of 2025, and fruit and vegetable sales are up 10% since 2022, per the company statement.
What exactly has Tesco changed?
The core of the announcement is a revised own-brand additive policy. Tesco has told its private-label suppliers that additives may be used only where they are necessary for food safety, shelf life or product quality, and then only in the minimum amount required. That principle is not new in itself; what has changed is the length and specificity of the list attached to it. According to Retail Gazette, the number of additives that are either prohibited or subject to restriction has risen from 65 to 114 in a single year.
Alice Ritchie, Tesco’s head of healthy and sustainable diets, said in the statement quoted by Just Food: “We have restricted the use of 114 additives in our own-brand products.” The company added that it is “committed to increasing transparency around UPFs, given our customers’ desire to see simpler, more recognisable ingredients.”
Banned outright versus restricted
Tesco draws a distinction between two tiers. Artificial colours, aspartame and monosodium glutamate sit in the banned tier: suppliers cannot use them in own-label recipes. A second tier of additives is restricted rather than removed, and Tesco has singled out mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, a family of emulsifiers found in bread, spreads, ice cream and baked goods, as the priority for further reformulation work. The retailer has not published the full list of 114 ingredients, and it has not said how many products have already changed recipe as a result.
| Tier | Named examples | Typical uses in own-brand food | What Tesco has said |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banned outright | Artificial colours | Confectionery, soft drinks, desserts, sauces | Not permitted in own-brand recipes |
| Banned outright | Aspartame | Diet drinks, sugar-free desserts, tabletop sweeteners | Not permitted in own-brand recipes |
| Banned outright | Monosodium glutamate (MSG) | Savoury snacks, soups, ready meals, seasonings | Not permitted in own-brand recipes |
| Restricted | Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E471) | Bread, margarine, ice cream, cakes | Allowed only where necessary; prioritised for supplier reformulation |
| Restricted (general) | Around 110 further additives, list not published | Varies by category | Only for safety, shelf life or quality, in the minimum amount |
A new filter on the online shop
Alongside the supplier policy, Tesco has added a filter to its online grocery platform that lets shoppers screen for products without additives. It sits next to the existing dietary, lifestyle and allergen filters, and it is the most visible consumer-facing element of the announcement. For a shopper who has read about emulsifiers or sweeteners and wants to avoid them without decoding every label, it turns a research task into a tick-box.
Why is Tesco doing this now?
Tesco’s own explanation is customer demand. The retailer commissioned research which found that 81% of its customers are trying to reduce the amount of ultra-processed food they eat, but that many struggle to work out what counts as ultra-processed and what does not. Ritchie told The Grocer that “health needs are reshaping the way people shop” and that “customers are talking about UPFs more than ever before,” adding that concern about UPFs has moved beyond what she called trend territory.
That reading is supported by independent data. The Grocer cites a Food Standards Agency survey in which cutting processed foods ranked above both reducing sugar and eating more fruit and vegetables as a consumer priority. In other words, a category defined by processing rather than by nutrients has overtaken the traditional public-health targets in the public mind, whatever the scientific advisers say about the evidence.
Eight years of reformulation, one new label
Tesco has been reformulating own-label products since 2018, cutting calories, saturated fat, salt and sugar and adding vegetables, fruit and fibre in line with the government’s Eatwell Guide. The retailer set a public target in 2021 to lift the share of its food sales coming from healthier products to 65% by 2025, and it reports that it hit that figure at the end of last year. Fruit and vegetable sales are up 10% since 2022, per the company.
What is new is the framing. The 2018 programme was built on the nutrient profiling model that underpins HFSS (high fat, sugar and salt) rules. The 2026 announcement uses the language of ultra-processing, additives and ingredient transparency, which is a different lens and one that regulators have been reluctant to adopt. The broader shift in how supermarket strategy is changing in 2026 has been towards own-label as a differentiator rather than a price-fighter, and Tesco’s move fits that pattern.
What does “ultra-processed” actually mean?
The phrase comes from the Nova classification, developed by researchers at the University of São Paulo, which sorts foods into four groups by the extent and purpose of industrial processing rather than by their nutrient content. Group 1 is unprocessed or minimally processed food (fresh vegetables, plain meat, milk). Group 2 is processed culinary ingredients (oils, butter, sugar, salt). Group 3 is processed food (tinned vegetables, cheese, freshly baked bread). Group 4 is ultra-processed: industrial formulations made mostly from substances extracted from foods or synthesised, typically containing additives such as colours, flavourings, emulsifiers and sweeteners that are not used in home cooking.
Under Nova, a supermarket wholemeal loaf with an emulsifier is ultra-processed while a sugary home-made cake is not, which is precisely why the classification is contested. Tesco’s approach sidesteps the argument by targeting the additives themselves rather than the label: if a product no longer contains E471 or an artificial colour, it moves down the Nova ladder without anyone having to agree on a definition.
Where the science stands
Observational studies have linked high UPF consumption with cancer, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, but the UK’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) concluded in 2023 that the evidence of harm was not strong enough to justify UPF-specific policy, largely because the associations overlap with the well-established effects of fat, sugar and salt. That position drew criticism from public health campaigners, including Dolly van Tulleken, and the innovation charity Nesta has argued that around 80% of UPF categories are already captured by the 2004 nutrient profiling model that HFSS rules rely on. Academic experts quoted by The Grocer also questioned whether a UPF-based rule could be implemented in a way consumers would understand.
Tesco’s decision to act ahead of the science is therefore commercial rather than regulatory. There is no legal requirement on any UK retailer to restrict aspartame or MSG, both of which remain approved by the Food Standards Agency. The retailer is responding to what shoppers say they want and, in doing so, is setting a private standard that suppliers must meet to keep their listings.
How does Tesco compare with its rivals?
Tesco is not the first UK grocer to move on clean labels, but it is by far the largest to publish a numbered list. Marks & Spencer launched its “Only” sub-brand in March 2025, a range of 32 products whose names state the number of ingredients, from Only 1 Ingredient up to Only 9 Ingredients. The Grocer reported in June that M&S’s Only 8 Ingredients ketchup and Only 6 Ingredients mayonnaise now outsell their classic equivalents, and that the Only Ingredients meatballs are the top-selling line in their category.
Waitrose has long positioned its own-label on provenance and quality, and its parent reported this week that Waitrose sales rose 4% in the first half even as John Lewis Partnership’s loss doubled to £89m, a reminder that the premium grocery shopper is still spending. Sainsbury’s has focused its own-label investment on volume and price-matching, and it has been gaining share for five consecutive quarters; the discounters have built their reputations on price, though Aldi’s own-label has increasingly borrowed the cues of premium brands.
| Retailer | Own-label UPF or clean-label move | Scale | Consumer-facing element |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tesco | 114 additives banned or restricted (from 65) | Whole own-brand range | “No additives” filter on Tesco.com; supplier policy |
| Marks & Spencer | “Only” range with 1 to 9 ingredients, launched March 2025 | 32 products | Ingredient count in the product name |
| Waitrose | Provenance and quality positioning; no published additive list | Range-wide claims | Brand positioning |
| Sainsbury’s | Reformulation under HFSS rules; no published UPF policy | Range-wide | Price-matching and Nectar pricing |
| Aldi / Lidl | Reformulation on salt and sugar; no published UPF policy | Range-wide | Price-led |
The distinction is between a niche range and a range-wide policy. M&S’s Only line proves that shoppers will pay for a short ingredient list, but it is 32 products. Tesco’s list applies to every own-label item, which means the reformulation burden falls on hundreds of suppliers at once. Sainsbury’s share gains, which we covered when its grocery sales rose 3.6% for a fifth straight quarter, have been driven by price rather than by ingredient claims, and it is not yet clear whether the two strategies collide or coexist.
Scale is the other reason the announcement carries weight. Tesco trades from more than 4,000 stores in the UK and Ireland, its online grocery business is the largest in the country, and its own-label range runs to thousands of lines across Tesco Finest, the core Tesco brand and the entry-level tiers. When a retailer of that size changes a supplier specification, the effect ripples through the manufacturers who also supply Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons, because it is often cheaper to run one reformulated recipe than to maintain two. In that sense, a Tesco own-label rule can quietly become an industry rule.
What does this mean for suppliers?
For an own-label manufacturer, a 49-additive extension to the banned list is a technical and commercial challenge. Emulsifiers such as E471 do a job: they stop bread going stale, keep ice cream smooth and prevent spreads separating. Removing them without changing texture or shelf life typically means substituting a natural alternative (lecithin from sunflower or rapeseed, for example), adjusting fat content, or accepting a shorter life on shelf. Each option has a cost, and Tesco has not said whether it will share reformulation costs or accept higher cost prices.
The precedent from HFSS reformulation suggests suppliers absorb most of it. Since 2018, salt and sugar reduction targets have been met largely through recipe changes funded by manufacturers, with retailers holding the line on price. Suppliers who cannot meet the new list risk losing their listing to a competitor who can, which is a strong incentive but a costly one for smaller producers.
Which categories carry the most additives?
Tesco has not broken the 114 down by category, but the named examples point to where the reformulation load will fall. Colours are concentrated in confectionery, soft drinks, desserts and children’s ranges. Aspartame sits in diet and sugar-free lines, where removing it means either reverting to sugar (and losing the “no added sugar” claim) or switching to sucralose, stevia or acesulfame K, which may or may not be on the restricted list. MSG appears in savoury snacks, soups, stock cubes and ready meals. Mono- and diglycerides are widespread in bakery, dairy and frozen desserts.
- Bakery: emulsifiers (E471, E472e) keep bread soft; substitutes include enzymes and vegetable lecithin, with some loss of shelf life.
- Soft drinks and squash: aspartame and artificial colours; substitutes include stevia blends and fruit or vegetable concentrates for colour.
- Ready meals and soups: MSG and flavour enhancers; substitutes include yeast extract, tomato and mushroom concentrates, which add cost and change flavour.
- Confectionery and desserts: artificial colours; natural colours from beetroot, spirulina and paprika are dearer and less stable under light and heat.
- Ice cream and spreads: mono- and diglycerides for texture; alternatives include egg yolk and sunflower lecithin.
The common thread is that every substitution is possible but few are free. That is why the restricted tier exists: Tesco appears to be accepting a slower path for additives that do a structural job, while cutting cosmetic ones (colours) and contested ones (aspartame, MSG) immediately.
Timing and shelf-life questions
Tesco has not published a deadline for compliance, and the reports do not specify whether existing stock will be sold through or withdrawn. Given the scale of the range, a phased approach by category is the likely mechanism, with the restricted tier (led by mono- and diglycerides) worked through over a longer period than the banned tier. Suppliers should expect specification updates from Tesco’s technical teams rather than a public timetable.
What does this mean for shoppers?
For most Tesco customers, the visible change will be shorter ingredient lists on own-label packs and the new filter online. Products that previously listed “colour: E102” or “sweetener: aspartame” will not carry those ingredients in future own-label versions. Branded products are unaffected: Tesco cannot dictate the recipe of Heinz, Coca-Cola or Walkers, and the announcement covers only Tesco Own Brand.
Shoppers should also note that “fewer additives” is not the same as “healthier” under the government’s own measures. A biscuit without artificial colours is still a biscuit. Tesco’s 65% healthy-sales figure is calculated on the nutrient profiling model, not on additive counts, and the two systems can point in different directions for the same product.
How to read a Tesco own-label label from now on
- Check the ingredient count. A shorter list is the most reliable signal that a product has been through the reformulation programme; Tesco has said it wants “simpler, more recognisable ingredients”.
- Look for E-numbers and named additives. Colours (E100 to E180), sweeteners (aspartame is E951) and emulsifiers (E471, E472) are the groups Tesco has named. Their absence on a new pack is the change in practice.
- Use the online filter. On Tesco.com, the “no additives” filter is the fastest way to see which products already meet the policy, and it works alongside the allergen and dietary filters.
- Do not confuse “no additives” with the traffic-light label. The front-of-pack colours measure fat, saturates, sugar and salt, which the additive policy does not touch.
- Expect branded products to be unchanged. Only Tesco Own Brand is covered; a branded cola or crisp will carry the same recipe it did last week.
Price implications
Tesco has not announced price changes linked to the policy. Ritchie’s statement to the Mirror stressed that “making healthy, sustainably produced food affordable and accessible for every household is a priority for Tesco,” which is a signal that the retailer intends to hold own-label prices while reformulating. Whether that holds through a period of elevated food inflation and higher employer costs is a question for its next trading update.
What does this mean for independent food retailers?
For the farm shops, delis, greengrocers and independent grocers that make up much of the UK’s local high street, Tesco’s move is double-edged. On one hand, it validates a positioning many independents have held for years: short ingredient lists, local provenance, food you could make at home. On the other, it narrows the gap. If a Tesco own-label loaf no longer contains E471, the artisan baker’s “no additives” claim is less distinctive than it was last month.
The practical response is to compete on what a national own-label programme cannot replicate: named producers, visible provenance, and the ability to explain a recipe over the counter. Independent retailers who stock clean-label challenger brands (Hunter & Gather, Bold Bean Co, Properoni and Biona are among those The Grocer names) also have an opportunity, because Tesco’s filter will increase search demand for “no additives” products that shoppers then look for elsewhere.
There is also a merchandising lesson in how the discounters and premium grocers built their own-label brands. The way Aldi turned own-label into a cult was by making the private brand the reason to visit, not a compromise, and the same logic applies to premium private label at the top of the market. A small shop with a strong own-label line, whether that is a house granola or a deli counter range, can use the UPF conversation to explain why its product is different.
How does this fit with UK food policy?
The government’s food regulation currently focuses on nutrients rather than processing. Restrictions on volume promotions for HFSS products (buy-one-get-one-free deals and similar) and a 9pm watershed for HFSS advertising on television and online are the main instruments, both aimed at reducing obesity. There is no UPF-specific regulation in force, and SACN’s 2023 conclusion gave ministers cover not to introduce one.
Tesco’s announcement therefore lands in a regulatory gap. By adopting the UPF vocabulary voluntarily, the UK’s largest grocer makes it harder for policymakers to dismiss the category as scientifically immature, and it gives campaigners a commercial example to cite. If the other members of the big four follow, the industry will have created a de facto standard that regulation may eventually formalise, in the same way that voluntary salt reduction targets preceded the HFSS rules.
The devolved picture is also worth noting. Scotland has consulted on its own HFSS promotion restrictions, and Wales has legislated for similar measures, so a retailer operating across all four nations already runs multiple compliance regimes on nutrients. A single voluntary additive policy applied UK-wide is administratively simpler for Tesco than waiting for four governments to converge on a definition of ultra-processing, which is another practical reason to act first.
| Measure | Basis | Status in the UK | Who it applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| HFSS volume promotion restrictions | Nutrient profiling model (2004) | In force | Large retailers and manufacturers |
| HFSS advertising watershed (9pm TV and online) | Nutrient profiling model | In force | Advertisers and broadcasters |
| UPF-specific regulation | Nova classification | None; SACN found insufficient evidence in 2023 | Not applicable |
| Tesco own-brand additive policy | Company list of 114 additives | Voluntary, effective 2026 | Tesco own-label suppliers only |
| M&S “Only” range | Ingredient count | Voluntary, launched March 2025 | 32 M&S products |
What should shoppers and retailers watch next?
Three things will show whether this is a durable shift or a marketing cycle. First, whether Tesco publishes the full list of 114 additives and a compliance timeline; a numbered but unpublished list invites scepticism. Second, whether Sainsbury’s, Asda or Morrisons respond with their own policies before Christmas, which is when own-label ranges are refreshed and when supplier negotiations for 2027 begin. Third, whether the online “no additives” filter changes basket composition in a way Tesco chooses to report.
For the independent sector, the question is simpler: does the UPF conversation bring more customers through the door, or does a cleaner Tesco own-label keep them in the supermarket? The evidence from the M&S Only range, where clean-label products outsell their conventional equivalents, suggests demand is real and growing. The retailers best placed to benefit are those who can prove their claims rather than merely state them.
Frequently asked questions
How many additives has Tesco banned?
Tesco says 114 additives are now either banned outright or restricted in its own-brand food ranges, up from 65 a year earlier. The full list has not been published; named examples include artificial colours, aspartame and monosodium glutamate (banned) and mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (restricted).
Does the ban apply to branded products sold in Tesco?
No. The policy covers Tesco Own Brand only. Branded products from other manufacturers are not affected, although shoppers can use the new online filter to find products without additives across the range.
Is aspartame banned in the UK?
No. Aspartame remains an approved sweetener under UK and EU food law. Tesco’s decision to remove it from own-label products is a voluntary company policy, not a regulatory change.
What is an ultra-processed food?
Under the Nova classification, ultra-processed foods are industrial formulations made largely from substances extracted from foods or synthesised, typically containing additives such as colours, flavourings, emulsifiers and sweeteners not used in home cooking. The UK’s scientific advisers have not adopted the classification for regulation.
Will Tesco own-brand prices go up because of the change?
Tesco has not announced price changes. Its head of healthy and sustainable diets said affordability remains a priority. Reformulation costs have historically been absorbed mainly by suppliers rather than passed to shoppers.
How does Tesco’s move compare with the M&S Only range?
M&S launched Only in March 2025 as a 32-product range whose names state the ingredient count. Tesco’s policy applies across its entire own-brand range rather than to a dedicated sub-brand, which makes it broader but less visible on pack.
What does the new Tesco online filter do?
It lets Tesco.com shoppers screen out products that contain additives, in the same way existing filters handle dietary requirements, lifestyle preferences and allergens.
What does this mean for independent shops?
It validates the clean-label positioning many independents already use, but it also reduces the gap with supermarket own-label. Independents can respond by competing on provenance, named producers and the ability to explain recipes in person, and by stocking clean-label challenger brands.
Is there a deadline for suppliers to comply?
Tesco has not published a compliance timeline. Reports indicate the restricted tier, led by mono- and diglycerides, has been prioritised for further work with suppliers, which suggests a phased approach by category.