Is it ultra-processed?
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Is McCain Home Chips ultra-processed?

1.6kg Frozen fried potatoes Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of McCain Home Chips

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:

  • 45 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed frozen fried potatoes

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

Potato 91%, Batter, Flour (wheat (with Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Rice, Broad Bean), Dextrin, Starch (wheat, Potato, Maize), Vegetable Oil (Shea, Coconut), Vegetable Fibre, Turmeric Extract, Paprika Extract, Sunflower Oil 4%, Salt, allergy information, see ingredients in BOLD Prepared with Sunflower Oil |HOW To COOК, Here's, how to cook 500g of McCain Home Chips, If cooking a different amount, adjust une cooking time accordingly, To get the best results cook from frozen, our instructions are guidelines only, For the most delicious results, do not overcook! Fan, Gas Mark 8, in the oven, baking tray and pop it into onto single layer of chips the to 220°C, 210°C a them evvery now and again, Preheat the oven to 220°CIZIOC Fan, Gas Mark and Preheat tne Spread the top OF the ovến, oven, golden, minutes, turning cria 24, nyely, TM

Additives: E100 Curcumin , E1400 Dextrin , E160c Paprika extract , E220 Sulphur dioxide

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E220 Sulphur dioxide.

As written on the pack

Potato (91%), Batter (Flour (WHEAT (with Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Rice, Broad Bean), Dextrin, Starch (WHEAT, Potato, Maize), Vegetable Oil (Shea, Coconut), Vegetable Fibre, Turmeric Extract, Colour (Paprika Extract)), Sunflower Oil (4%), Salt. ALLERGY INFORMATION: FOr allergens, see ingredients in BOLD Prepared with Sunflower Oil |HOW To COOК... Here's ;how to cook 500g of McCain Home Chips. If cooking a different amount, adjust une cooking time accordingly. To get the best results cook from frozen, our instructions are guidelines only. For the most delicious results, do not overcook! Fan/Gas Mark 8. IN THE OVEN.. baking tray and pop it into onto single layer of chips the to 220°C/210°C a them evvery now and again, Preheat the oven to 220°CIZIOC Fan/Gas Mark & Preheat tne Spread the top OF the ovến. oven. golden. a minutes, turning cria 24 - 26 nyely. TM

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.
  • E1400 Dextrin Dextrin is starch partly broken down by heat or acid, used as a thickener, binder and coating.
  • E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.

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.

  • Vegetable fiber Isolated plant fibres, such as inulin, oat fibre or bamboo fibre, are extracted industrially and added to change texture or support "source of fibre" claims.
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.

  • E220 Sulphur dioxide Sulphur dioxide is a preservative and antioxidant used in dried fruit, wine and some drinks.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Vegetable fat Vegetable fats are oils that are solid at room temperature, such as palm or coconut fat.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 104 frozen fried potatoes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 81st. 80% of the frozen fried potatoes 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 104 frozen fried potatoes, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5010228005287, 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.