Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Beef Flavor Rice-A-Roni ultra-processed?

Rice dishes Sold in the United States

Pack of Beef Flavor Rice-A-Roni

Yes, it's ultra-processed

  1. 1 Unprocessed
  2. 2 Kitchen staple
  3. 3 Processed
  4. 4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

  • 28 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed rice dishes

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

Rice, wheat flour, salt, onions, hydrolyzed soy protein, carrots, sugar, monosodium glutamate, caramel color, beef broth, natural flavor, garlic, hydrolyzed corn protein, hydrolyzed wheat protein, ferric orthophosphate, niacinamide, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, ferrous sulfate, corn syrup solids, thiamin mononitrate, autolyzed yeast extract, sweetened condensed milk (milk, sugar), folic acid, riboflavin, dried

Additives: E150c Ammonia caramel , E621 Monosodium glutamate , E627 Disodium guanylate , E631 Disodium inosinate

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E150c Ammonia caramel.

As written on the pack

Rice, wheat flour, salt, onions*, hydrolyzed soy protein, carrots*, sugar, monosodium glutamate, caramel color, beef broth, natural flavor, garlic*, hydrolyzed corn protein, hydrolyzed wheat protein, ferric orthophosphate, niacinamide, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, ferrous sulfate, corn syrup solids, thiamin mononitrate, autolyzed yeast extract, sweetened condensed milk (milk, sugar), folic acid, riboflavin. *dried

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.

  • E150c Ammonia caramel Ammonia caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars with ammonia compounds.
  • E621 Monosodium glutamate Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation and used to strengthen savoury taste.
  • E627 Disodium guanylate Disodium guanylate is a flavour enhancer usually used together with MSG.
  • E631 Disodium inosinate Disodium inosinate is a flavour enhancer usually used together with MSG.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
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 192 rice dishes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 174th. 71% of the rice dishes 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 192 rice dishes, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0015300430280, last edited 29 May 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 E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.