Is Ben's Original Rice Pilaf with Orzo Pasta ultra-processed?

Rice dishes Sold in the United States

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Flavouring
Modified starch
E100 Curcumin

31 ingredients
1 additive
Nutri-Score C

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

water, parboiled long grain rice, orzo pasta (durum wheat semolina, natural flavor (ultra-processing marker), niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), canola oil, salt (processing marker), yeast extract, onion, sugar (processing marker), rendered chicken fat, potassium salt, modified corn starch (ultra-processing marker), chicken broth, broccoli, calcium (calcium carbonate), iron (iron phosphate), vitamin b3 (niacinamide), vitamin b1 (thiamine mononitrate), folic acid, spice, turmeric extract (ultra-processing marker)

Additives: E100 Curcumin

As written on the pack

WATER, PARBOILED LONG GRAIN RICE, ORZO PASTA (DURUM WHEAT SEMOLINA, NATURAL FLAVOR, NIACIN, FERROUS SULFATE, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), CANOLA OIL, SALT, YEAST EXTRACT, ONION, SUGAR, RENDERED CHICKEN FAT, POTASSIUM SALT, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, CHICKEN BROTH, BROCCOLI POWDER, CALCIUM (CALCIUM CARBONATE), IRON (IRON PHOSPHATE), VITAMIN B3 (NIACINAMIDE), VITAMIN B1 (THIAMINE MONONITRATE), FOLIC ACID, SPICE, TURMERIC 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.

E100 Curcumin Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
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.

4 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.
Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
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 135th. 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 0054800423361, last edited 21 June 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 C (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.