Is Aldi Korma curry paste ultra-processed?

190 g Curry pastes Sold in the United Kingdom and Germany

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Modified starch
E150a Plain caramel

25 ingredients
2 additives

Less processed curry pastes

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

Water, Rapeseed Oil, Sugar (processing marker), Garlic Purée 4%, Desiccated Coconut 3%, Turmeric Tomato Paste, Coriander, Ginger 4%, Powder, Dried Onion, Acidity Regulator (Acetic Acid), Cumin, Garam Masala Powder Anise, Ginger, Green Cardamom, Pimento, Black, Coriander, Cumin, Cassia, Black Pepper, Star Plain Caramel, Modified Maize Starch (ultra-processing marker), Paprika Coriander Leaf

Additives: E150a Plain caramel , E260 Acetic acid

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E150a Plain caramel.

As written on the pack

Water, Rapeseed Oil, Sugar, 5% 4% Garlic Purée, 3% Desiccated Coconut, Turmeric Tomato Paste, Coriander Powder, 4% Ginger Purée, Powder, Dried Onion, Acidity Regulator: Acetic Acid; Cumin Powder, Garam Masala Powder Anise, Ginger, Green Cardamom, Pimento, Black (Coriander, Cumin, Cassia, Black Pepper, Star Plain Caramel; Modified Maize Starch, Paprika Coriander Leaf.

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.

E150a Plain caramel Plain caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars.
Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.

2 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.

Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 77 curry pastes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 61st. 43% of the curry pastes 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 77 curry pastes, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4056489895558, last edited 26 March 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.
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.