Is Aldi Thai Red Curry Paste ultra-processed?

Red curry pastes 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:

E415 Xanthan gum

19 ingredients
2 additives

Less processed red 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, red chillies, salt (processing marker), sugar (processing marker), garlic, lemongrass, shallots, galangal, spices, coriander seed, cumin, cardamom, turmeric, kaffir lime leaves, acidity regulator, citric acid, stabiliser, xanthan gum (ultra-processing marker)

Additives: E330 Citric acid , E415 Xanthan gum

As written on the pack

water, rapeseed oil, red chillies, salt, sugar, garlic, lemongrass, shallots, galangal, spices, coriander seed, cumin, cardamom, turmeric, kaffir lime leaves, acidity regulator, citric acid, stabiliser, xanthan gum

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.

E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.

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.

Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 14 red curry pastes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 9th. 57% of the red 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 14 red curry pastes, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4061462488528, last edited 25 July 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.