Is Marks & Spencer Chargrilled chicken, king prawn & chorizo paella ultra-processed?

800g Paella 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:

Dextrose
Glucose
E428 Gelatine

67 ingredients
5 additives
Nutri-Score C

Less processed paella

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

Cooked Spanish Rice 29% (Water, Risotto Rice), Chicken Thighs 15%, King Prawns, Tomatoes, Onions, White Wine, Chorizo 4.5% (Pork 90%, Curing Salt (Salt (processing marker), Potassium Nitrate (processing marker), Sodium Nitrite (processing marker)), Smoked Paprika, Garlic Purée, Dextrose (ultra-processing marker), e301, Ground Nutmeg, Oregano), Extra Virgin Olive Oil (processing marker), Peas 3.5%, Piquillo Peppers 3.5% (Piquillo Peppers, Water, Sugar (processing marker), Salt (processing marker), Citric Acid), Red Peppers, Roast Chicken Stock (Water, Chicken Bones, Onions, Carrots, Leeks, Parsley, Garlic, White Pepper, Bay Leaves), Spices (Smoked Paprika, Fennel Seeds, Paprika, Black Pepper, Turmeric, Cayenne Pepper), Garlic Purée, Tomato Paste, Salt (processing marker), Fish, Shellfish Stock, Cornflour, Whole Milk, Olive Oil (processing marker), Red Chillies, Pork Gelatine (ultra-processing marker), Sundried Tomatoes, White Wine Vinegar, Dried Garlic, Vegetable Oil (processing marker) (Sunflower Vegetable Oil, Rapeseed Vegetable Oil), Lemon Zest, Rosemary, Thyme, Saffron, Dried Basil

Additives: E250 Sodium nitrite , E252 Potassium nitrate , E301 Sodium ascorbate , E330 Citric acid , E428 Gelatine

As written on the pack

Cooked Spanish Rice (29%) (Water · Risotto Rice) · Chicken Thighs (15%) · King Prawns (Crustacean) (10%) · Tomatoes · Onions · White Wine · Chorizo (4.5%) (Pork (90%) · Curing Salt (Salt · Preservative: Potassium Nitrate, Sodium Nitrite) · Ground Smoked Paprika · Garlic Purée · Dextrose · Antioxidant: E301 · Ground Nutmeg · Oregano) · Extra Virgin Olive Oil · Peas (3.5%) · Piquillo Peppers (3.5%) (Piquillo Peppers · Water · Sugar · Salt · Acidity Regulator: Citric Acid) · Red Peppers · Roast Chicken Stock (Water · Chicken Bones · Onions · Carrots · Leeks · Parsley · Garlic · Ground White Pepper · Ground Bay Leaves) · Ground Spices (Smoked Paprika · Fennel Seeds · Paprika · Black Pepper · Turmeric · Cayenne Pepper) · Garlic Purée · Tomato Paste · Salt · Fish and Shellfish Stock (Cod (Fish) · Mussels (Mussels) · Tomato Paste · Water · Salt · Concentrated Carrot Juice · Crab (Crustacean) · Lobster (Crustacean) · Concentrated Onion Juice · Rapeseed Oil · Sugar · Ground Paprika · Turmeric) · Cornflour · Whole Milk · Olive Oil · Red Chillies · Pork Gelatine · Sundried Tomatoes · White Wine Vinegar · Dried Garlic · Vegetable Oil (Sunflower/Rapeseed) · Lemon Zest · Rosemary · Thyme · Saffron · Dried Basil.

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.

E428 Gelatine Gelatine is a gelling agent made from collagen in animal skin and bones.

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.

7 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.

E250 Sodium nitrite Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
E252 Potassium nitrate Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
Prepared meats Products in the category "Prepared meats" are at least group 3.
Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
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 12 paella

From least to most processed, this one ranks 8th. 75% of the paella 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 12 paella, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 29090624, last edited 25 September 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.