Is it ultra-processed?
Menu

Is Butcher's Choice Cooked chicken slices ultra-processed?

340g Cooked chicken breast slices Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Butcher's Choice Cooked chicken slices

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:

  • 19 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score A

Less processed cooked chicken breast slices

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

chicken, corn starch, dextrose, glucose, salt, stabiliser (sodium triphosphate), prepared from 103g of chicken per 100g of cooked sliced chicken, made using chicken, caution although every care has been taken to remove bones, some may remain, storage defrost thoroughly for a minimum of 12 hours in the fridge, once defrosted use on the same day and do not refreeze, keep frozen at, 18°c and cooler, important (if food has thawed), do not refreeze, 21g0420

Additives: E451 Triphosphates , E451i Pentasodium triphosphate

As written on the pack

chicken, corn starch, dextrose, glucose, salt, stabiliser (sodium triphosphate). prepared from 103g of chicken per 100g of cooked sliced chicken. made using chicken from thailand. caution although every care has been taken to remove bones, some may remain. storage defrost thoroughly for a minimum of 12 hours in the fridge. once defrosted use on the same day and do not refreeze. keep frozen at - 18°c or cooler. important: if food has thawed, do not refreeze. 21g0420

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.

  • E451 Triphosphates Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.

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.

  • Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
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.

  • Prepared meats Products in the category "Prepared meats" are at least group 3.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 53 cooked chicken breast slices

From least to most processed, this one ranks 35th. 85% of the cooked chicken breast slices 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 53 cooked chicken breast slices, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5057753901233, last edited 27 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.
  • NOVA measures processing, not nutrition. For nutrition, Open Food Facts gives this product a Nutri-Score of A (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.