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Is Co Op Chicken Tikka Masala with Pilau Rice ultra-processed?

400 g Chicken tikka masala Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Co Op Chicken Tikka Masala with Pilau Rice

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:

  • 77 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed chicken tikka masala

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

Pilau Rice 38% (Water, White Rice, Rapeseed Oil, Cumin Seeds, Turmeric Extract, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Bay Leaf, Cloves), Chicken 21% (Chicken Breast, Water, Low Fat Yogurt, Potato Starch, Garam Masala (Coriander, Cassia, Allspice, Ginger, Cumin Seeds, Nutmeg, Cloves, Fennel, Dill, Black Pepper, Mace, Chillies), Paprika, Salt, Green Chillies, Coriander, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Chilli, Fenugreek, Colour (Paprika extract)), Onion, Water, Single Cream, Tomatoes, Tomato Purée, Cashew Nut Paste 2% (Cashew Nuts, Rapeseed Oil), Vegetable Oils (Sunflower Vegetable Oils, Rapeseed Vegetable Oils), Cornflour, Ginger, Demerara Sugar, Garlic Purée, Coriander, Salt, Coriander, Green Chillies, Cumin, Paprika, Colour (Paprika extract), Garam Masala (Coriander, Cassia, Allspice, Ginger, Cumin Seeds, Nutmeg, Cloves, Fennel, Dill, Black Pepper, Mace, Chillies), Turmeric, Fenugreek, Cardamom, Concentrated Lemon Juice

Additives: E100 Curcumin , E160c Paprika extract

As written on the pack

Pilau Rice (38%) (Water, White Rice, Rapeseed Oil, Cumin Seeds, Turmeric Extract, Ground Cardamom, Ground Cinnamon, Ground Bay Leaf, Ground Cloves), Marinated Chicken (21%) (Chicken Breast, Water, Low Fat Yogurt (Milk), Potato Starch, Garam Masala (Coriander, Cassia, Allspice, Ginger, Cumin Seeds, Nutmeg, Cloves, Fennel, Dill, Black Pepper, Mace, Chillies), Paprika, Salt, Green Chillies, Chopped Coriander, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Chilli Powder, Ground Fenugreek, Colour (Paprika extract)), Onion, Water, Single Cream (Milk) (8%), Tomatoes, Tomato Purée, Cashew Nut Paste (2%) (Cashew Nuts, Rapeseed Oil), Vegetable Oils (Sunflower, Rapeseed), Cornflour, Ginger Purée, Demerara Sugar, Garlic Purée, Chopped Coriander, Salt, Ground Coriander, Green Chillies, Ground Cumin, Paprika, Colour (Paprika extract), Garam Masala (Coriander, Cassia, Allspice, Ginger, Cumin Seeds, Nutmeg, Cloves, Fennel, Dill, Black Pepper, Mace, Chillies), Ground Turmeric, Fenugreek, Ground Cardamom, Concentrated Lemon Juice.

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.
  • E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
5 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.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 19 chicken tikka masala

From least to most processed, this one ranks 15th. 89% of the chicken tikka masala 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 19 chicken tikka masala, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000129322620, last edited 20 April 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.