Is Colman's Hot chili con carne ultra-processed?

Chili con carne 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:

Flavouring
Maltodextrin

18 ingredients
No additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed chili con carne

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

Starch (processing marker), tomato puree 20%, paprika 8%, onion powder 7%, sugar (processing marker), cayenne pepper, yeast extract, garlic powder, salt (processing marker), flavourings (ultra-processing marker), WHEAT flour, cumin, oregano, pepper, potassium chloride, lemon juice (maltodextrin (ultra-processing marker), lemon juice)

As written on the pack

Starch, tomato puree powder (20%), paprika (8%), onion powder (7%), sugar, cayenne pepper, yeast extract, garlic powder, salt, flavourings, WHEAT flour, cumin, oregano, pepper, potassium chloride, lemon juice powder (maltodextrin, 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.

Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

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.

Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down 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 16 chili con carne

From least to most processed, this one ranks 10th. 69% of the chili con carne 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 16 chili con carne, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 8712100487934, last edited 8 August 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 D (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.