Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Merchant Gourmet Mexican style grains ultra-processed?

250g Rice dishes Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Merchant Gourmet Mexican style grains

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:

  • 39 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed rice dishes

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

Long-Grain Rice 43% (Water, Long-Grain Rice), Sweetcorn 18%, Red Quinoa 17% (Water, Red Quinoa), Adzuki Beans 8%, Chilli Paste (Sugar, Red Pepper, Molasses, Tomato Purée, Water, Salt, Jalapeño, Smoked Paprika, Onion Salt, White Wine Vinegar, Cayenne, Garlic Salt), Roquito Sauce (Red Roquito® Jalapeño Peppers, Red Bell Peppers, Sugar, Cane Vinegar, Tomato Paste, Vegetable Oil (contains Sunflower Oil and, and Rapeseed Oil), Garlic, Thickener (Xanthan Gum), Onion, Ginger), Olive Oil, Salt, Chilli, Smoked Paprika

Additives: E415 Xanthan gum

As written on the pack

Cooked Long-Grain Rice (43%) (Water, Long-Grain Rice), Sweetcorn (18%), Cooked Red Quinoa (17%) (Water, Red Quinoa), Adzuki Beans (8%), Chilli Paste (Sugar, Red Pepper Juice, Molasses, Tomato Purée, Water, Salt, Jalapeño Powder, Smoked Paprika Powder, Onion Salt, White Wine Vinegar, Cayenne Powder, Garlic Salt), Roquito Sauce (Red Roquito® Jalapeño Peppers, Red Bell Peppers, Sugar, Cane Vinegar, Tomato Paste, Vegetable Oil (contains Sunflower Oil and/ or Rapeseed Oil), Garlic, Thickener: Xanthan Gum, Onion, Ginger), Olive Oil, Salt, Chilli Flakes, Smoked Paprika.

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.

  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • Thickener Thickeners, often gums or modified starches, make liquids more viscous so that a product feels richer than its ingredients alone would make it.
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.
  • 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 192 rice dishes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 108th. 71% of the rice dishes 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 192 rice dishes, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5018095011264, last edited 27 March 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.