Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Quorn Tikka Massala with rice ultra-processed?

1x 400g Microwave meals Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Quorn Tikka Massala with rice

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:

  • 53 ingredients
  • 4 additives

Less processed microwave meals

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

Cooked Pilau Rice (Water, Basmati Rice, Rapeseed Oil, Salt, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Cumin Seed, Colour (Turmeric Extract), Cardamom Pods, Cardamom, Bay Leaf), Onion, Meat Free Pieces 13% (Mycoprotein, Free Range Egg White, Natural Flavouring, Firming Agents (Calcium Chloride), Calcium Acetate), Water, Milk, Tomato Paste, Double Cream, Garlic Purée, Ginger, Cornflour, Honey, Sugar, Coriander, Rapeseed Oil, Coriander, Salt, Paprika, Cumin, Garam Masala (Coriander, Cinnamon, Cumin, Cardamom, Clove, Fennel, Dill), Turmeric, Colour (Paprika Extract), Chilli, Cumin, Cinnamon, Clove, Lemon Oil, Black Pepper, Bay Leaf

Additives: E100 Curcumin , E160c Paprika extract , E263 Calcium acetate , E509 Calcium chloride

As written on the pack

Cooked Pilau Rice (Water, Basmati Rice, Rapeseed Oil, Salt, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Cumin Seed, Colour: Turmeric Extract; Cardamom Pods, Cardamom, Bay Leaf), Onion, Meat Free Pieces (13%) (Mycoprotein*, Rehydrated Free Range Egg White, Natural Flavouring, Firming Agents: Calcium Chloride, Calcium Acetate), Water, Milk, Tomato Paste, Double Cream (Milk), Garlic Purée, Ginger Purée, Cornflour, Honey, Sugar, Coriander, Rapeseed Oil, Ground Coriander, Salt, Paprika, Ground Roasted Cumin, Ground Garam Masala (Coriander, Cinnamon, Cumin, Cardamom, Clove, Fennel, Dill), Ground Turmeric, Colour: Paprika Extract; Ground Chilli, Ground Cumin, Ground Cinnamon, Ground Clove, Lemon Oil, Black Pepper, Bay Leaf.

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.

  • E100 Curcumin Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of 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.
  • Firming agent Firming agents keep fruit and vegetable tissue crisp or firm through processing and storage.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
4 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.
  • Honey Honey, used as a sweetener.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 351 microwave meals

From least to most processed, this one ranks 304th. 72% of the microwave 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 351 microwave meals, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5051873004881, 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.
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.