Is Nik Naks Nice 'n' Spicy Flavour Corn Snack ultra-processed?

6 x 20 g Puffed salty snacks made from maize 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

24 ingredients
3 additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed puffed salty snacks made from maize

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

maize, sunflower oil (processing marker), n' spicy vour (sugar (processing marker), yeast extract, malt vinegar, barley malt extract, soya sauce (processing marker), wheat flour, salt (processing marker), dried onion, acid (citric acid), curry (spices, rice flour, salt (processing marker)), acid (malic acid), spice, colour (ultra-processing marker) (paprika extract (ultra-processing marker)), spice extracts, garlic extract)

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E296 Malic acid , E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

maize, sunflower oil, nice 'n' spicy vour [sugar, yeast extract, natural flavourings contains barley malt vinegar, barley malt extract, soya sauce, wheat flour), salt, dried onion, acid: citric acid, curry powder (spices, rice flour, salt), acid: malic acid, spice, colour: paprika extract, spice extracts, garlic 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.

5 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.

Salty snacks Products in the category "Salty snacks" 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.
Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 21 puffed salty snacks made from maize

From least to most processed, this one ranks 6th. 86% of the puffed salty snacks made from maize 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 21 puffed salty snacks made from maize, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000237131435, last edited 26 April 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 D (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.