Is Morrisons Spiced chicken biriyani ultra-processed?

Ready to eat combination 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
E160c Paprika extract

26 ingredients
1 additive
Nutri-Score A

Less processed ready to eat combination meals

Root & Soul Courgette & Camilo Nero with creamy white wine braised lentils Tescos 17 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Mini vegetable samosas Tesco 49 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Hazelnut Dukkah Crusted Salmon Frive 30 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Bulgogi Beef Rice Bowl with Korean red pepper sauce and pickled mooli 29 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3

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

Chicken breast 16%, Onion, Water, Brown basmati rice, Cauliflower, Carrot, Tomato paste, Peas, Spinach, Chickpeas, Skimmed milk, Low fat yogurt, Whipping cream, Almond, Mung beans, Acacia gum fibre, Spices, Rapeseed oil, Herbs, Garlic purée, Ginger, Green chilli, Cornflour, Salt (processing marker), Colour (ultra-processing marker) (paprika extract (ultra-processing marker))

Additives: E160c Paprika extract

As written on the pack

Chicken breast (16%), Onion, Water, Brown basmati rice, Cauliflower, Carrot, Tomato paste, Peas, Spinach leaf, Chickpeas, Skimmed milk, Low fat yogurt (milk), Whipping cream (milk), Almond flakes, Mung beans, Acacia gum fibre, Spices, Rapeseed oil, Herbs, Garlic purée, Ginger purée, Green chilli purée, Cornflour, Salt, Colour (paprika extract)

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.

2 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 8 ready to eat combination meals

From least to most processed, this one ranks 7th. 50% of the ready to eat combination 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 8 ready to eat combination meals, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5010525235196, 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 A (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.