Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Sainsbury's Firecracker Chicken Breast Slices ultra-processed?

160 g Cooked chicken breast slices Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Sainsbury's Firecracker Chicken Breast Slices

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:

  • 27 ingredients
  • 4 additives

Less processed cooked chicken breast slices

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 83%, Firecracker Marinade 13% (Dried Glucose Syrup, Sugar, Tomato, Garlic, Spices (Jalapeño Chillies, Chilli, Chilli, Black Pepper, Cumin), Yeast Extract, Onion, Dried Carrot, Sunflower Oil, Colour (Paprika Extract), Coriander, Chipotle), Sugar, Natural Mineral Salt, Potato Starch, Stabilisers (Sodium Triphosphate), Potassium Triphosphate, Chilli

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E451 Triphosphates , E451i Pentasodium triphosphate , E451ii Pentapotassium triphosphate

As written on the pack

British Chicken Breast Fillet (83%), Firecracker Marinade (13%) (Dried Glucose Syrup, Sugar, Tomato Powder, Garlic Powder, Spices (Jalapeño Chillies, Chilli Powder, Chilli, Black Pepper, Cumin), Yeast Extract, Onion Powder, Dried Carrot, Sunflower Oil, Colour: Paprika Extract, Coriander, Chipotle Extract), Sugar, Natural Mineral Salt, Potato Starch, Stabilisers: Sodium Triphosphate, Potassium Triphosphate; Chilli Powder.

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.
  • E451 Triphosphates Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.

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.

  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Glucose syrup Glucose syrup is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
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.

  • Prepared meats Products in the category "Prepared meats" are at least group 3.
  • 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 53 cooked chicken breast slices

From least to most processed, this one ranks 49th. 85% of the cooked chicken breast slices 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 53 cooked chicken breast slices, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00286589, last edited 5 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.