Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Rice-A-Roni Stir Fried Rice ultra-processed?

Rice dishes Sold in the United States

Pack of Rice-A-Roni Stir Fried 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:

  • 34 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

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, wheat flour, lactose, salt, monosodium glutamate, celery, leeks, hydrolyzed corn protein, onions, natural flavor, hydrolyzed soy protein, hydrolyzed yeast protein, sunflower oil, brown sugar, hydrolyzed wheat gluten, parsley, turmeric (color), molasses, soy sauce (soybean, wheat, salt), garlic, caramel color, ferric orthophosphate, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, niacinamide, ferrous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, riboflavin, ingredients

Additives: E150c Ammonia caramel , E621 Monosodium glutamate , E627 Disodium guanylate , E631 Disodium inosinate

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E150c Ammonia caramel.

As written on the pack

rice, wheat flour, lactose, salt, monosodium glutamate, celery*, leeks*, hydrolyzed corn protein, onions, natural flavor, hydrolyzed soy protein, hydrolyzed yeast protein, sunflower oil, brown sugar, hydrolyzed wheat gluten, parsley*, turmeric (color), molasses, soy sauce (soybean, wheat, salt), garlic, caramel color, ferric orthophosphate, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, niacinamide, ferrous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, riboflavin. *dried contains milk, soy and wheat ingredients.

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.

  • E150c Ammonia caramel Ammonia caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars with ammonia compounds.
  • E621 Monosodium glutamate Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation and used to strengthen savoury taste.
  • E627 Disodium guanylate Disodium guanylate is a flavour enhancer usually used together with MSG.
  • E631 Disodium inosinate Disodium inosinate is a flavour enhancer usually used together with MSG.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

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.

  • Lactose Lactose is milk sugar, crystallised industrially from whey, a by-product of cheese making.
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.
  • 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 192 rice dishes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 190th. 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 0015300430488, last edited 23 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 E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.