Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Sainsbury's Chicken Tikka Masala ultra-processed?

400 g Chicken tikka masala Sold in the United Kingdom and Spain

Pack of Sainsbury's Chicken Tikka Masala

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:

  • 62 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed chicken tikka masala

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, Onion, Rapeseed Oil, Salt, Cumin, Cardamom, Turmeric, Clove, Bay Leaf), Chicken Breast 18% (Chicken Breast, Rapeseed Oil, Low Fat Yogurt (Cows' Milk), Cornflour, Paprika, Ginger, Garlic Purée, Green Chilli, Fenugreek, Coriander, Chilli, Cumin, Cinnamon, Ginger Powder, White Pepper, Clove, Nutmeg, Cardamom, Bay Leaf), Onion, Fat Cream 16% (Cows' Milk), Tomato Paste, Low Fat Yogurt (Cows' Milk), Sugar, Rapeseed Oil, Water, Cashew Nut, Garlic Purée, Ginger, Butter (Cows' Milk), Coriander Leaf, Salt, Paprika, Coriander, Cumin, Turmeric, Cinnamon, Chilli, White Pepper, Clove, Ginger Powder, Colour (Paprika Extract), Bay Leaf, Nutmeg, Cardamom

Additives: E160c Paprika extract

As written on the pack

Cooked Pilau Rice (Water, Basmati Rice, Onion, Rapeseed Oil, Salt, Cumin, Cardamom, Turmeric, Clove, Bay Leaf), Cooked Marinated Chicken Breast (18%) (Chicken Breast, Rapeseed Oil, Low Fat Yogurt (Cows' Milk), Cornflour, Paprika, Ginger Purée, Garlic Purée, Green Chilli Purée, Fenugreek, Coriander, Chilli Powder, Cumin, Cinnamon, Ginger Powder, White Pepper, Clove, Nutmeg. Cardamom, Bay Leaf), Onion, 16% Fat Cream (Cows' Milk), Tomato Paste, Low Fat Yogurt (Cows' Milk), Sugar, Rapeseed Oil, Water, Cashew Nut, Garlic Purée, Ginger Purée, Butter (Cows' Milk), Coriander Leaf, Salt, Paprika, Coriander, Cumin, Turmeric, Cinnamon, Chilli Powder, White Pepper, Clove, Ginger Powder, Colour Paprika Extract: Bay Leaf, Nutmeg, Cardamom.

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.
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.
  • Butter Butter, the fat churned from cream.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 19 chicken tikka masala

From least to most processed, this one ranks 8th. 89% of the chicken tikka masala 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 19 chicken tikka masala, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00244978, last edited 25 May 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.