Is Ainsley Harriott Sundried Tomato & Garlic Couscous ultra-processed?

100g Prepared couscous Sold in the United Kingdom

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Colour
Flavouring
Maltodextrin
E160c Paprika extract

21 ingredients
2 additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed prepared couscous

Roasted Vegetable Couscous M&S 12 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Moroccan style Fruity Couscous Marks & Spencer 21 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Roasted Butternut, Lentil & Goats Cheese with a Sweet & Tangy Balsamic Dressing M&S Food 17 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Fruity Moroccan Couscous Deluxe 29 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3

Less processed isn't automatically healthier, so compare the labels for what matters to you, such as sugar or salt.

Ingredients

Ultra-processing Processing signs are highlighted

Couscous 83% (Durum WHEAT Semolina), Maltodextrin (ultra-processing marker), Sundried Tomato 2.2% (Tomato, Sea Salt (processing marker)), Tomato, Dried Tomato, Natural Flavourings (ultra-processing marker) (contain BARLEY), Sugar (processing marker), Palm Oil, Salt (processing marker), Dried Onion 0.7%, Dried Garlic 0.6%, Onion, Red Pepper, Parsley 0.2%, Citric Acid, Colour (ultra-processing marker) (Paprika Extract (ultra-processing marker))

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

Dried Couscous (83%) [Durum WHEAT Semolina], Maltodextrin, Sundried Tomato (2.2%) [Tomato, Sea Salt], Tomato Powder, Dried Tomato, Natural Flavourings (contain BARLEY), Sugar, Palm Oil, Salt, Dried Onion (0.7%), Dried Garlic (0.6%), Onion Powder, Red Pepper Powder, Dried Parsley (0.2%), Citric Acid, Colour (Paprika Extract).

What makes it ultra-processed

Cosmetic additives

Added to change how the food looks, feels or tastes, not to keep it safe. A hallmark of ultra-processed food.

E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

Substances rarely used in home kitchens

Refined or extracted in factories, such as syrups made from starch or isolated proteins. The other hallmark of ultra-processed food.

Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.

3 ingredients that would only make it processed

Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.

Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 16 prepared couscous

From least to most processed, this one ranks 11th. 69% of the prepared couscous here are ultra-processed.

Ranked by NOVA group, then by the number of ultra-processing signs, additives and ingredients. Our ordering, not part of NOVA.

All 16 prepared couscous, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5050665005969, last edited 22 April 2026), available under the Open Database License. If something is wrong or the recipe has changed, you can correct it there.
Photo: Open Food Facts contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The NOVA group is an automated estimate from crowdsourced data: a missing or mistyped ingredient can change it.
NOVA measures processing, not nutrition. For nutrition, Open Food Facts gives this product a Nutri-Score of D (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.