Is Sainsbury's Firecracker Chicken Breast Mini Fillets ultra-processed?

305g Chicken breasts Sold in the United Kingdom and France

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Dextrose
Flavouring
Glucose
Gluten
Maltodextrin
E160c Paprika extract
and 1 more

45 ingredients
4 additives
Nutri-Score A

Less processed chicken breasts

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

British Chicken Breast Fillet 67%, Fortified Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Rapeseed Oil, Water, Breadcrumb (Fortified Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Yeast, Salt (processing marker)), Wheat Starch (processing marker), Wheat Gluten (ultra-processing marker), Salt (processing marker), Tomato Powder, Paprika, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper, Yeast Extract Powder, Dextrose (ultra-processing marker), Sugar (processing marker), Cayenne Pepper, Diphosphates (ultra-processing marker), Sodium Bicarbonate, Chilli, Chilli, Parsley, White Pepper, Smoked Salt (processing marker), Sunflower Oil (processing marker), Paprika Extract (ultra-processing marker), Maltodextrin (ultra-processing marker), Mushroom, Chilli, Flavouring (ultra-processing marker), Black Pepper Extract, Ginger Extract

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E450 Diphosphates , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate

As written on the pack

British Chicken Breast Fillet (67%), Fortified Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Rapeseed Oil, Water, Breadcrumb (Fortified Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Yeast, Salt), Wheat Starch, Wheat Gluten, Salt, Tomato Powder, Paprika, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper, Yeast Extract Powder, Dextrose, Sugar, Cayenne Pepper, Raising Agents: Diphosphates, Sodium Bicarbonate; Chilli Powder, Chilli Flakes, Parsley, White Pepper, Smoked Salt, Sunflower Oil, Colour: Paprika Extract; Maltodextrin, Mushroom Concentrate, Chilli Extract, Flavouring, Black Pepper Extract, Ginger Extract.

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.
E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
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.

Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
Gluten Wheat gluten, sold as "vital wheat gluten", is the protein washed out of wheat flour.
Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.

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.

Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
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 83 chicken breasts

From least to most processed, this one ranks 81st. 65% of the chicken breasts 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 83 chicken breasts, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00302487, last edited 5 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 A (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.