Is Merchant Gourmet Lentil & Chickpea Tagine ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 43 ingredients
- 3 additives
- Nutri-Score B
Less processed pulses
Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
Brown Lentils 51%, Water, Brown Lentils, Cooked Chickpeas 21%, Water, Chickpeas, Chopped Tomatoes 9%, Tomato, Tomato Juice, Ras el Hanout Seasoning 5% (Sugar (processing marker), Maize Starch (processing marker), Dried Glucose Syrup (ultra-processing marker), Coriander, Paprika, Yeast Extract, Red Pepper, Cumin, Garlic Powder, Black Onion Seeds, Salt (processing marker), Cinnamon, Ground Ginger, Black Pepper, Fenugreek, Fennel, Ground Nutmeg (Citric Acid), Turmeric, Chillies (Paprika Extract (ultra-processing marker)), Ground Clove, Star Anise, Flavouring (ultra-processing marker)), Dried Apricot 3.9% (Apricots, Rice Flour), Onions, Red Pepper, Vegetable Oil (processing marker) (Sunflower Oil and, and Rapeseed Oil), Cornflour
Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E220 Sulphur dioxide , E330 Citric acid
As written on the pack
Cooked Brown Lentils (51%) Water, Brown Lentils), Cooked Chickpeas (21%) Water, Chickpeas), Chopped Tomatoes (9%) Tomato, Tomato Juice), Ras el Hanout Seasoning (5%) (Sugar, Maize Starch, Dried Glucose Syrup, Ground Coriander, Ground Paprika, Yeast Extract, Dried Minced Red Pepper, Ground Cumin, Garlic Powder, Black Onion Seeds, Salt, Ground Cinnamon, Ground Ginger, Ground Black Pepper, Ground Fenugreek, Ground Fennel, Ground Nutmeg, Acidity Regulator [Citric Acid], Ground Turmeric, Crushed Chillies, Colour [Paprika Extract], Ground Clove, Ground Star Anise, Flavouring), Dried Apricot (3.9%)(Apricots, Rice Flour, Preservative [Sulphur Dioxide]), Onions, Red Pepper, Vegetable Oil (Sunflower Oil and/ or Rapeseed Oil), Cornflour
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.
- E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
- 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.
- Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
- Glucose syrup Glucose syrup is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
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.
- 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.
Among 377 pulses
From least to most processed, this one ranks 370th. 34% of the pulses here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5056215600752, last edited 11 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 B (from A, best, to E).
- General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.