Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Potts Red Thai Curry Paste ultra-processed?

200g Cooking Sauces Sold in the United Kingdom and Ireland

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:

  • 27 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed cooking Sauces

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

Water, Rapeseed Oil, Red Chilli Puree 8% (Red Chillies, Salt, Acetic Acid), Lemongrass 4%, Galangal 4%, Lime Leaf, Fish Sauce (Anchovy, Salt, Sugar, Water), Cornflour, Sugar, Garlic, Tomato Paste, Salt, Onion, Red Chillies, Coriander, Natural Colour (Paprika Extract), Cumin, Acidity Regulator (Lactic Acid)

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E260 Acetic acid , E270 Lactic acid

As written on the pack

Water, Rapeseed Oil, Red Chilli Puree (8%) (Red Chillies, Salt, Acetic Acid), Lemongrass (4%), Galangal (4%), Lime Leaf, Fish Sauce (Anchovy Extract, Salt, Sugar, Water), Cornflour, Sugar, Garlic, Tomato Paste, Salt, Onion, Dried Red Chillies, Ground Coriander, Natural Colour: Paprika Extract, Ground Cumin, Acidity Regulator: Lactic Acid

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.
3 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.

  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 36 cooking Sauces

From least to most processed, this one ranks 28th. 67% of the cooking Sauces 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 36 cooking Sauces, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5060178332988, 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.
  • 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 E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.