Is Merchant Gourmet Thai Green Lentil Curry ultra-processed?

Microwave meals 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:

Colour
Flavouring
Glucose
Glucose syrup
E160c Paprika extract

44 ingredients
2 additives
Nutri-Score A

Less processed microwave meals

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 Green Lentils 41% (Water, Green Lentils), Mung Beans 21% (Water, Mung Beans), Coconut Cream 10%, Green Beans 8%, Red Pepper 6%, Spinach 3.2%, Green Curry Seasoning 2.5% (Sugar (processing marker), Maize Starch (processing marker), Dried Glucose Syrup (ultra-processing marker), Desiccated Coconut, Cumin, Garlic Powder, Ground Ginger, Coriander, Onion Powder, Garlic, Turmeric, Yeast Extract (Citric Acid), Salt (processing marker), Chilli, Parsley, Natural Flavourings (ultra-processing marker) (Paprika Extract (ultra-processing marker))), Onions, Ginger, Garlic Purée, Coriander, Lime Juice, Red Chilli, Salt (processing marker), Thai Basil 0.4%, Galangal, Cumin, Lime Leaf, Cornflour, Lemongrass 0.2%, Tumeric Extract, Colour (ultra-processing marker)

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

Cooked Green Lentils (41%) (Water, Green Lentils), Cooked Mung Beans (21%) (Water, Mung Beans), Coconut Cream (10%), Green Beans (8%), Red Pepper (6%), Spinach (3.2%), Green Curry Seasoning (2.5%) (Sugar, Maize Starch, Dried Glucose Syrup, Desiccated Coconut, Ground Cumin, Garlic Powder, Ground Ginger, Ground Coriander, Onion Powder, Garlic Granules, Ground Turmeric, Yeast Extract, Acidity Regulator [Citric Acid], Salt, Chilli Powder, Dried Rubbed Parsley, Natural Flavourings, Colour [Paprika Extract]), Onions, Ginger Purée, Garlic Purée, Coriander, Lime Juice, Red Chilli, Salt, Thai Basil (0.4%), Galangal, Cumin Powder, Lime Leaf, Cornflour, Lemongrass (0.2%), Tumeric Extract, Colour

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.
Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
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.

Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 351 microwave meals

From least to most processed, this one ranks 294th. 72% of the microwave meals 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 351 microwave meals, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5056215600738, 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 A (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.