Household Ingredients Compared › Pesto (Singapore)

Pesto: what's actually in it?

Pesto alla Genovese is basil, cheese, pine nuts, garlic and olive oil — and the jarred versions on the Singapore shelf replace most of the olive oil with sunflower oil, swap pine nuts for cashews, and add potato flakes, corn fibre and whey powder to keep it cheap and stable. Barilla's Genovese is 30% basil and 46g fat per 100g; Sacla's Classic Basil is 45.5% basil; Filippo Berio's is 36% basil by one source and 46% by another. The basil percentage on the label is the single most useful number on this page.

This page does not give a health score or a "best" pick. It shows the ingredient list as printed and flags added sugar, salt and allergens.

The headline, in 30 seconds

Basil share is the tell. Sacla Classic Basil is 45.5% basil; Barilla Genovese is 30%; Filippo Berio is 36% by OFF and 46% by a pack photo — the same product, two figures, flagged not merged.
Sunflower oil leads, not olive oil. Barilla Genovese lists sunflower seed oil first, with extra virgin olive oil near the end; Filippo Berio lists olive oil second but sunflower oil third. No panelled pesto is olive-oil first.
Cashews replace pine nuts. Barilla, Sacla and Filippo Berio all use cashews; pine nuts are a minor ingredient or absent — Barilla Genovese lists cashews and no pine nuts at all.
Barilla Rosso is tomato first, not basil. Pesto Rosso is tomato pulp 37% plus tomato concentrate 15% — a red pesto, with basil as a minor ingredient and 329 kcal per 100g.
Sacla has two different Genovese lists. The wholesale list is basil 33% with water and glucose; the US retailer list is sunflower oil first with Grana Padano and Pecorino and no basil percentage. Both are panelled as separate variants, not merged.

At a glance

Product	Pack size (as printed)	Country of manufacture (as printed)	First ingredient	Basil %	Fat per 100g	Cheese
Barilla Pesto alla Genovese, 190g	190g	not stated	Sunflower seed oil	30%	46 g	Parmigiano Reggiano 5%
Barilla Pesto Rosso, 200g	200g	not stated	Tomato pulp 37%	Not stated	29 g	Grana Padano + Pecorino Romano
Barilla Pesto Basil & Chilli, 195g	195g	not stated	Sunflower oil	32%	41.2 g	None stated
Barilla Pesto Basil & Pistachio, 190g	190g	not stated	Sunflower oil	30%	44 g	None stated
Sacla Pesto alla Genovese (wholesale)	not stated	Italy	Basil 33%	33%	Not stated	Cheese (milk)
Sacla Classic Basil Pesto	not stated	not stated	Basil 45.5%	45.5%	Not stated	Parmigiano Reggiano + Pecorino Romano
Sacla Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto	not stated	not stated	Tomato purée	10%	Not stated	Cheeses (milk)
Filippo Berio Classic Pesto, 350g	350g	Italy (Liguria)	Italian basil 36%	36% (or 46%)	Not stated	Grana Padano + Pecorino Romano
Filippo Berio Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto, 190g	190g	not stated	Sun-dried tomatoes 40.2%	Not stated	Not stated	Grana Padano

Panelled with verbatim lists: 9 products. Seen but not verified: 9 products. Checked 12 November 2026. No prices are shown here: they change weekly and would go stale.

Panelled products

Barilla Pesto alla Genovese, 190g

Pack size: 190g · Made in: not stated (as printed)

Ingredients (Open Food Facts (manufacturer data — secondary)): Sunflower seed oil, Basil (30%), Cashews, Parmigiano Reggiano PDO (5%) (milk), Corn fiber, Whey powder, Salt, Milk protein, Extra virgin olive oil, Sugar, Basil extract, Natural aromas (milk), Acidity corrector: lactic acid

Per-100g nutrition from OFF: 482 kcal, fat 46g, saturated fat 5.3g, carbs 9.8g, sugars 5.5g, protein 4.7g, salt 3.2g (sodium 1280mg). Sunflower oil first, extra virgin olive oil near the end; cashews, no pine nuts; corn fibre and whey powder as body. SG pack not verified. Allergen: milk, nuts (cashew) Via: OFF SG pack unverified

Barilla Pesto Rosso, 200g

Pack size: 200g · Made in: not stated (as printed)

Ingredients (Open Food Facts (manufacturer data — secondary)): Tomato pulp (37%), Sunflower oil, Tomato concentrate (15%), Grana Padano PDO cheese (milk, lysozyme from egg), Cashew nuts, Sugar, Salt, Basil, Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (2%), Whey powder, Pecorino Romano PDO cheese (sheep's milk), Rice starch, Garlic, Acidity regulator: lactic acid, Natural flavouring (milk)

Per-100g nutrition from OFF: 329 kcal, fat 29g, saturated fat 3.4g, carbs 12g, sugars 7.8g, protein 3.8g, salt 2.8g (sodium 1120mg). A red pesto: tomato pulp 37% plus tomato concentrate 15%, with basil as a minor ingredient. Grana Padano contains lysozyme from egg. SG pack not verified. Allergen: milk, egg (lysozyme), nuts (cashew) Via: OFF SG pack unverified

Barilla Pesto Basil & Chilli (Pesto con Peperoncino), 195g

Pack size: 195g · Made in: not stated (as printed)

Ingredients (Open Food Facts (manufacturer data — secondary)): Sunflower oil, Basil (32%), Corn fiber, Cashew nuts, Chilli (4%), Whey powder (milk), Green pepper, Salt, Milk protein, Basil extract, Garlic, Natural flavors (milk), Acidity corrector: lactic acid

Per-100g nutrition from OFF: 441 kcal, fat 41.2g, saturated fat 3.5g, carbs 12.6g, sugars 3.8g, protein 2.9g, salt 1.95g (sodium 780mg). Chilli 4% — the lowest salt of the Barilla panelled pestos (1.95g). No cheese listed. SG pack not verified. Allergen: milk, nuts (cashew) Via: OFF SG pack unverified

Barilla Pesto Basil & Pistachio, 190g

Pack size: 190g · Made in: not stated (as printed)

Ingredients (Open Food Facts (manufacturer data — secondary)): Sunflower oil, Basil (30%), Corn fiber, Whey powder (milk), Salt, Milk protein, Pistachios (2%), Cashew nuts, Almonds, Natural flavors (milk), Basil extract, Acidity regulator: lactic acid

Per-100g nutrition from OFF: 476 kcal, fat 44g, saturated fat 4.2g, carbs 13g, sugars 5g, protein 2.9g, salt 2.9g (sodium 1160mg). Pistachios are only 2% — the name ingredient is a minor one, and cashews and almonds are also present. No cheese listed. SG pack not verified. Allergen: milk, nuts (pistachio, cashew, almond) Via: OFF SG pack unverified

Sacla Pesto alla Genovese (wholesale list)

Pack size: not stated · Made in: Italy (as printed)

Ingredients (Ankorstore wholesale listing (manufacturer data — secondary)): Basil (33%), Water, Sunflower oil, Cheese (MILK), Cashew nuts, Salt, Glucose, Garlic, Vegetable fibers, Pine nuts, Whey protein (MILK), Natural flavor, Modified corn starch, Acidity corrector: lactic acid

Basil 33%, water second — a different structure from Barilla's oil-first list. Product of Italy. Flag: a US retailer (Piccolo's Gastronomia) gives a different ordering for the same product — sunflower seed oil first, Italian basil, cashews, Grana Padano DOP, Pecorino Romano DOP, water, glucose, sea salt, potatoes, pine kernels, lactic acid, garlic powder, whey protein, extra virgin olive oil. Both are recorded here and neither is merged; the SG pack must settle which list matches the Singapore jar. No per-100g nutrition verified. Allergen: milk, nuts (cashew, pine nut) Origin: Italy Via: wholesale SG pack unverified

Sacla Classic Basil Pesto

Pack size: not stated · Made in: not stated (as printed)

Ingredients (Uber Eats UK retail listing (manufacturer data — secondary)): Basil (45.5%), Sunflower Oil, Cheeses (Milk) (Medium Fat Hard Cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano PDO, Pecorino Romano PDO), Cashew Nuts, Salt, Natural Flavourings (Milk), Sugar, Potato Flakes, Acidity Regulator: Lactic Acid, Pine Nuts, Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Basil 45.5% — the highest basil share panelled on this page, and basil first (unlike the wholesale Genovese list). Cheeses are named: Parmigiano Reggiano PDO and Pecorino Romano PDO. No per-100g nutrition verified. SG pack not verified; this is a UK-market list. Allergen: milk, nuts (cashew, pine nut) Via: UK retailer SG pack unverified

Sacla Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

Pack size: not stated · Made in: not stated (as printed)

Ingredients (Uber Eats UK retail listing (manufacturer data — secondary)): Tomato Puree, Vegetable Oil Blend (Rapeseed, Sunflower), Italian Basil (10%), Cheeses (Milk), Sun-Dried Tomatoes (4%), Peppers (Sulphites), Carrots, Pine Nuts, Acidity Regulator: Lactic Acid, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Garlic, Salt

Sun-dried tomatoes are only 4% — the name ingredient is a minor one, and tomato purée leads. Peppers contain sulphites. No per-100g nutrition verified. SG pack not verified; UK-market list. Allergen: milk, nuts (pine nut), sulphites Via: UK retailer SG pack unverified

Filippo Berio Classic Pesto, 350g

Pack size: 350g · Made in: Italy (Liguria) (as printed)

Ingredients (Open Food Facts (Italian listing — secondary)): Italian basil (36%), Olive oil, Sunflower oil, Grana Padano PDO (milk, salt, rennet), Cashew nuts, Extra virgin olive oil, Potato flakes, Salt, Sugar, Pecorino Romano (ewe's milk, salt, rennet), Pine nuts, Garlic, Acidity regulator (glucono delta lactone)

Produced in Liguria, Italy. Conflict: a Facebook pack photo of the same product gives Italian basil 46%, sunflower oil, cashew nuts, potato flakes, Grana Padano PDO, Pecorino Romano PDO, garlic and pine nuts — basil 46% vs 36%, and a different ingredient order. Both figures are recorded here; the SG pack must settle it. No per-100g nutrition verified. SG pack not verified. Allergen: milk, nuts (cashew, pine nut) Origin: Liguria, Italy Conflict Via: OFF SG pack unverified

Filippo Berio Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto, 190g

Pack size: 190g · Made in: not stated (as printed)

Ingredients (Open Food Facts (Italian listing — secondary)): Sun-dried tomatoes (40.2%), Sunflower oil, Basil, Tomato pulp, Extra virgin olive oil, Cashew nuts, Grana Padano PDO (milk, salt, rennet), White wine vinegar, Red beet, Salt, Acidity regulator (citric acid)

Sun-dried tomatoes 40.2% — unlike Sacla's 4%, this red pesto really is sun-dried-tomato first. No per-100g nutrition verified. SG pack not verified. Allergen: milk, nuts (cashew) Via: OFF SG pack unverified

Seen but not verified — do not panel until checked

Sacla Organic Green Pesto, 190g — Talabat UAE list retrieved (basil*, sunflower seed oil*, cheese*, cashew nuts*, potato flakes*, salt, rice syrup*, natural flavourings, lactic acid, garlic powder*, extra virgin olive oil*, pine nuts*, rosemary extract*; *organic); SG availability unconfirmed; not panelled.
Sacla Pesto Wild Garlic — Spoonful list retrieved (sunflower seed oil, basil, wild garlic, garlic, chives, Pecorino Romano DOP, Grana Padano DOP, cashew nuts, salt, fructose, lactic acid, garlic powder, vegetable fiber); SG availability unconfirmed; not panelled.
Filippo Berio Pesto Basil & Ricotta / Tomato-Ricotta variants — listed; no SG-verified lists retrieved.
Barilla Pesto Genovese, 190g (German-market OFF entry) — the OFF ingredient dump for this entry is garbled/OCR-damaged; deliberately not used; the manufacturer-data entry above is panelled instead.
Sacla Pesto alla Genovese (Piccolo's Gastronomia US retailer list) — recorded as the conflict against the Ankorstore wholesale list in the panel above; not panelled separately.
FairPrice house-brand pesto — listed in SG retail coverage; no list retrieved.
Little Farms / The Providore fresh pesto (deli, refrigerated) — no pack list retrieved; fresh deli pesto has no ingredient panel online.
iHerb SG / Amazon SG pesto listings — no SG-verified lists retrieved in this pass.
De Cecco / other Italian pesto brands sold in Singapore — no SG-verified lists retrieved.

Nutrition — what the numbers say

All figures in the first table are as sold, per 100 g / 100 ml. Salt and sodium: salt = sodium × 2.5. The table shows sodium as printed (in mg) with the salt equivalent in brackets. Sodium is not presented as salt, and salt is not presented as sodium.

Total vs added sugars: most Singapore packs list total sugars, not added sugars. A total-sugars figure is never labelled here as “added sugar”. Where a source states an added-sugars figure separately, it is noted. The ingredient list remains the evidence for added sugar (sugar, glucose-fructose syrup, molasses, honey) versus naturally occurring sugars (fructose in fruit, lactose in milk).

Open Food Facts is a community database and is flagged as secondary where used: the pack and the retailer nutrition section take precedence if they disagree. Figures marked “not stated” were not in the source retrieved; they are not estimated, borrowed from another variant, or copied across flavours. No Nutri-Grade is quoted or assigned on this page: Nutri-Grade applies to drinks, and none of these products carries a printed Nutri-Grade on its Singapore pack as verified in this pass.

Product ↕	Energy ↕	Protein ↕	Total fat ↕	Saturated fat ↕	Carbohydrate ↕	Sugars ↕	Sodium (salt equiv.) ↕
Barilla Pesto alla Genovese, 190g	482 kcal	4.7 g	46 g	5.3 g	9.8 g	5.5 g	1280 mg (salt 3.2 g)
Barilla Pesto Rosso, 200g	329 kcal	3.8 g	29 g	3.4 g	12 g	7.8 g	1120 mg (salt 2.8 g)
Barilla Pesto Basil & Chilli, 195g	441 kcal	2.9 g	41.2 g	3.5 g	12.6 g	3.8 g	780 mg (salt 1.95 g)
Barilla Pesto Basil & Pistachio, 190g	476 kcal	2.9 g	44 g	4.2 g	13 g	5 g	1160 mg (salt 2.9 g)

Click a column header to sort low to high; click again for high to low. “not stated” always sorts last — it is missing data, not zero.

Conflicts flagged, not silently resolved: Filippo Berio Classic Pesto — basil 36% (OFF) vs 46% (Facebook pack photo), with different ingredient order; both recorded, not merged. Sacla Genovese — Ankorstore wholesale list (basil 33%, water second) vs Piccolo's Gastronomia US retailer list (sunflower oil first, no basil percentage); both recorded, not merged. No nutrition conflicts: only Barilla rows are tabled.

Seen but not verified (nutrition):

Sacla Pesto alla Genovese, Sacla Classic Basil Pesto, Sacla Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto, Filippo Berio Classic Pesto, Filippo Berio Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto — no per-100g nutrition panels verified.
Sacla Organic Green Pesto, Sacla Wild Garlic, Filippo Berio Ricotta variants — not panelled, so no nutrition tabled.

How to read a pesto label — the jargon, in plain English

Pesto alla Genovese: The classic green pesto: basil, pine nuts, garlic, Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino, pounded with olive oil. Jarred versions swap in sunflower oil, cashews, potato flakes and whey powder.
Pesto Rosso: Red pesto, made with tomato (Barilla: tomato pulp 37% + tomato concentrate 15%) instead of basil as the main ingredient.
PDO / DOP: Protected Designation of Origin — the cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, Grana Padano) comes from a defined Italian area and method.
Sunflower oil vs extra virgin olive oil: Jarred pesto usually leads with cheaper sunflower oil and adds a little extra virgin olive oil for flavour. Only Filippo Berio lists olive oil second — and even there sunflower oil is third.
Cashews vs pine nuts: Pine nuts are expensive, so jarred pesto uses cashews as the main nut and keeps pine nuts as a minor ingredient — or drops them entirely (Barilla Genovese).
Corn fibre / potato flakes / whey powder: Cheap body-givers and stabilisers in jarred pesto. They replace the texture that fresh cheese and nuts would give.
Lactic acid / glucono delta lactone: Acidity regulators that keep jarred pesto stable and bright green. Filippo Berio uses glucono delta lactone; Barilla and Sacla use lactic acid.
Lysozyme (from egg): An egg-white enzyme used in Grana Padano production. Barilla Rosso's Grana Padano contains it, so that pesto contains egg.

What this page is not

Not a health score, and not a "best" pick. This page does not rank products.
Not a taste test, and not a price comparison. Prices change weekly; ingredients change less often, but still change.
Not complete. The products in seen-but-not-verified are not yet panelled, for the verification reasons given, not hidden.

Sources and method

Checked 12 November 2026 from: Open Food Facts (Barilla Pesto alla Genovese, Pesto Rosso, Pesto Basil & Chilli, Pesto Basil & Pistachio — ingredients and per-100g nutrition; Filippo Berio Classic Pesto and Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto — ingredients; Barilla Genovese German-market entry — garbled, deliberately not used); Ankorstore wholesale (Sacla Pesto alla Genovese — ingredients); Piccolo's Gastronomia US retailer (Sacla Genovese — conflicting list, recorded as conflict); Uber Eats UK (Sacla Classic Basil Pesto, Sacla Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto — ingredients); Talabat UAE (Sacla Organic Green Pesto — list); Spoonful (Sacla Wild Garlic — list); Facebook pack photo (Filippo Berio Classic Pesto — conflicting basil share). No SG pack was available for any panelled product in this pass. Cold Storage publishes no ingredient list on any product page.