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Is Muscle Foood High Protein Chicken & Chorizo Paella ultra-processed?

380g Rice dishes Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Muscle Foood High Protein Chicken & Chorizo Paella

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:

  • 49 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score B

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 29% (Water, Long Grain Rice), Paella Sauce (Water, Onion, Rapeseed Oil, Garlic Puree, Lemon Juice from Concentrate, Parsley, Paprika, Vegetable Stock (Maltodextrin, Yeast Extract, Sugar, Salt, Vegetable (Carrot, Onion, Tomato)), Xanthan Gum, Black Pepper), Chicken 21% (Chicken, Salt), Peas 8%, Cherry Tomato 7% (Tomato, Sunflower Oil, Salt, Garlic, Oregano), Red Peppers 7%, Chorizo 5% (Pork, Pork Fat, Pork Rind, Paprika, Salt, Preservative (Sodium Nitrite), Spices, Spice Extract, Glucono delta-lactone, Dextrose, Garlic, Antioxidant (Sodium Ascorbate), Nutmeg)

Additives: E250 Sodium nitrite , E301 Sodium ascorbate , E415 Xanthan gum , E575 Glucono-delta-lactone

As written on the pack

Cooked Long Grain Rice (29%) [Water, Long Grain Rice], Paella Sauce [Water, Onion, Rapeseed Oil, Garlic Puree, Lemon Juice from Concentrate, Chopped Parsley, Paprika, Vegetable Stock (Maltodextrin, Yeast Extract, Sugar, Salt, Vegetable Powder (Carrot, Onion, Tomato)), Xanthan Gum, Ground Black Pepper], Cooked Chicken (21%) [Chicken, Salt], Peas (8%), Semi Dried Marinated Cherry Tomato Halves (7%) [Semi Dried Tomato, Sunflower Oil, Salt, Garlic, Oregano], Diced Red Peppers (7%), Diced Chorizo (5%) (Pork, Pork Fat, Pork Rind, Paprika, Salt, Preservative: Sodium Nitrite; Spices, Spice Extract, Glucono delta-lactone, Dextrose, Garlic, Antioxidant: Sodium Ascorbate; Nutmeg).

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.

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.

  • Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
6 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.

  • E250 Sodium nitrite Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
  • Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • 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 161st. 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 5055904223289, 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.