Is S&B Japanese Curry Mix In Block ultra-processed?

220g Curry pastes Sold in the United Kingdom, France and Germany

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

E150a Plain caramel
E621 Monosodium glutamate
E627 Disodium guanylate
E631 Disodium inosinate

22 ingredients
5 additives
Nutri-Score E

Less processed curry pastes

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

wheat flour, vegetable oils (processing marker) (palm oil, rapeseed oil), sugar (processing marker), salt (processing marker), curry powder 7.7% (turmeric, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, orange peel, spices), e621 (ultra-processing marker), e627 (ultra-processing marker), e631 (ultra-processing marker), e150a (ultra-processing marker), spices (pepper, garlic, celery seed), malic acid

Additives: E150a Plain caramel , E296 Malic acid , E621 Monosodium glutamate , E627 Disodium guanylate , E631 Disodium inosinate

As written on the pack

wheat flour, vegetable oils (palm oil, rapeseed oil), sugar, salt, curry powder 7,7% (turmeric, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, orange peel, spices), flavour enhancers: e621, e627, e631, colour: e150a, spices (pepper, garlic, celery seed), malic 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.

E150a Plain caramel Plain caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars.
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.

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.
Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 77 curry pastes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 75th. 43% of the curry pastes 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 77 curry pastes, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4901002075415, last edited 15 June 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.