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Is M&S Our Best Ever Chicken Tikka Masala ultra-processed?

460g Chicken tikka masala Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of M&S Our Best Ever Chicken Tikka Masala

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:

  • 55 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • 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

Chicken Breast 53%, Single Cream, Coconut Milk 12% (Coconut Water), Tomatoes, Rapeseed Oil, Ginger, Garlic Purée, Low Fat Yogurt, Cornflour, Yogurt, Spices (Coriander, Smoked Paprika, Turmeric, Cinnamon, Cumin, Paprika, Chilli, Bay Leaves, Green Cardamom, Mace, Nutmeg, Cloves), Unsalted Butter, Ginger, Cane Sugar, Red Chillies, Lemon Juice, Salt, Red Chilli Purée, Smoked Salt, Cumin Seeds, Coriander, Demerara Sugar, Chickpea Flour, Garam Masala (Coriander, Cumin, Black Pepper, Cinnamon, Mace, Green Cardamom, Ginger, Fennel, Cloves, Nutmeg, Bay Leaves), Fenugreek Leaves, Paprika Extract, Black Cardamom, Green Cardamom, Cracked Black Pepper, Red Chillies, Chilli

Additives: E160c Paprika extract

As written on the pack

Chicken Breast (53%), Single Cream (Milk) (17%), Coconut Milk (12%) (Coconut Extract Water) , Tomatoes. Rapeseed Oil, Ginger Purée, Garlic Purée, Low Fat Yogurt (Milk), Cornflour, Yogurt (Milk), Ground Spices (Coriander, Smoked Paprika, Turmeric, Cinnamon ,Cumin,Paprika, Chilli Powder ,Bay Leaves ,Green Cardamom, Mace, Nutmeg,Cloves), Unsalted Butter (Milk), Ginger, Cane Sugar, Red Chillies, Lemon Juice, Salt, Red Chilli Purée, Smoked Salt, Cumin Seeds, Coriander, Demerara Sugar, Chickpea Flour, Ground Garam Masala (Roasted Coriander,Roasted Cumin, Black Pepper, Cinnamon, Mace, Roasted Green Cardamom Seeds, Ginger, Fennel, Cloves, Nutmeg, Bay Leaves), Fenugreek Leaves, Colour: Paprika Extract, Whole Black Cardamom Seeds, Whole Green Cardamom, Cracked Black Pepper, Crushed Red Chillies, Chilli 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.

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.
  • Butter Butter, the fat churned from cream.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 19 chicken tikka masala

From least to most processed, this one ranks 5th. 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 00953023, last edited 1 October 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.