Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Scratch Chicken Pad Thai ultra-processed?

Poultry meals Sold in the United Kingdom and France

Pack of Scratch Chicken Pad Thai

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:

  • 46 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed poultry meals

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

Thai Noodle Mix 70% (Noodles (Water, Rice, Tapioca Starch), Carrot, Peppers, Bamboo, Spring Greens, peanuts, Spring Onion, Red Chilli), Roasted Chicken Strips 13% (Chicken, Water, Salt, Starch, Dextrose, Xylose, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Carbonates), Pad Thai Sauce 13%, Water, Brown Sugar, Fish Sauce (Anchovies, Salt, Sugar), Low Sodium Soy Sauce (Water, SOYA Beans, wheat, Salt, Spirit Vinegar, Ethyl Alcohol, Sugar), Tamarind, Tapioca Starch, Chilli, Added Vitamins, Minerals (Zinc), Niacin (Vitamin B3), Lime Wedge, Potassium Sorbate

Additives: E1510 Ethanol , E202 Potassium sorbate , E331 Sodium citrates , E500 Sodium carbonates

As written on the pack

Thai Noodle Mix (70%) (Cooked Noodles (Water, Rice, Tapioca Starch), Carrot, Peppers, Bamboo, Spring Greens, PEANUTS, Spring Onion, Red Chilli), Roasted Chicken Strips (13%) (Chicken, Water, Salt, Starch, Dextrose, Xylose, Acidity Regulators (Sodium Citrate, Sodium Carbonates)), Pad Thai Sauce (13%) (Water, Brown Sugar, Fish Sauce (Anchovies (FISH), Salt, Sugar), Low Sodium Soy Sauce (Water, SOYA Beans, WHEAT, Salt, Spirit Vinegar, Ethyl Alcohol, Sugar), Tamarind Concentrate, Tapioca Starch, Chilli Powder, Added Vitamins & Minerals: Zinc, Niacin (Vitamin B3)), Lime Wedge, Preservative (Potassium Sorbate).

What makes it ultra-processed

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.
6 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.

  • E202 Potassium sorbate Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
  • Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
  • 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.
  • Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 233 poultry meals

From least to most processed, this one ranks 139th. 78% of the poultry meals 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 233 poultry meals, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5060213721388, last edited 8 August 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.