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Is Old El Paso Rice Meal Chilli and Garlic ultra-processed?

355 g Rice dishes Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Old El Paso Rice Meal Chilli and Garlic

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 D

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

rice 57% (white long grain parboiled rice), maltodextrin, tomato powder, salt, sugar, sunflower oil, paprika extract, parsley, citric acid, cooking sauce 42% (tomato puree), chopped tomatoes, yellow pepper, onion, water, garlic puree 4%, salt, red chili puree 3% (chillies, water, dextrose, tomato paste, smoked salt, acetic acid, chilli), sugar, natural flavourings, modified corn starch, white vinegar, lemon juice concentrate, calcium chloride, citric acid, paprika extract, chicken meat, seasoning mix 1%, maltodextrin, tomato powder 30%, salt, spices (paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper), sugar, herbs (oregano, parsley), citric acid, paprika extract

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E260 Acetic acid , E330 Citric acid , E509 Calcium chloride

As written on the pack

seasoned rice (57%): white long grain parboiled rice, maltodextrin, tomato powder, salt, sugar, sunflower oil, paprika extract, parsley, acidity regulator (citric acid), cooking sauce (42%): tomato puree, chopped tomatoes, yellow pepper, onion, water, garlic puree (4%), salt, smoked red chili puree (3%) (chopped chillies, water, smoked dextrose, tomato paste, smoked salt, preservative (acetic acid), chilli powder), sugar, natural flavourings, modified corn starch, white vinegar, lemon juice concentrate, firming agent (calcium chloride), acidity regulator (citric acid), paprika extract, hydrolysed chicken meat, seasoning mix (1%) maltodextrin, tomato powder (30%), salt, spices (paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper), sugar, herbs (oregano, parsley), acidity regulator (citric acid), 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.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.

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.
  • Chicken meat An ingredient mostly produced industrially and rarely used in home kitchens.
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.

  • 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.
  • 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 191st. 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 8410076472014, last edited 5 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 D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.