Is Snapdragon Chicken Pad Thai ultra-processed?

32 oz Dried rice noodles Sold in the United States

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

E160c Paprika extract
E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose

41 ingredients
4 additives
Nutri-Score C

Less processed dried rice noodles

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

entrée (boneless white chicken, boneless white chicken), water, sugar (processing marker), salt (processing marker), baking soda, pad thai sauce (sugar (processing marker), water, onion, canola oil, tahini paste, fish sauce anchovy extract, salt (processing marker), garlic, tomato paste, lime juice, rice wine vinegar, and contains 2% and less of (tamarind, tamarind), water, corn starch (processing marker), salt (processing marker), paprika, oleoresin paprika (ultra-processing marker), and spices), red bell pepper, bean sprout, green onion, carrot, and cilantro, rice noodle (rice), tapioca starch (processing marker), sugar (processing marker), salt (processing marker), and cellulose gum (ultra-processing marker) (anchovy), sesame

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate

As written on the pack

entrée: boneless white chicken (boneless white chicken, water, sugar, salt and baking soda), pad thai sauce (sugar, water, onion, canola oil, tahini paste [sesame seeds], fish sauce anchovy extract, salt], garlic, tomato paste, lime juice, rice wine vinegar, and contains 2% or less of: tamarind puree [tamarind pulp, water], corn starch, salt, paprika, oleoresin paprika, and spices), red bell pepper, bean sprout, green onion, carrot, and cilantro, rice noodle: rice, tapioca starch, sugar, salt, and cellulose gum, contains: fish (anchovy) and sesame,

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.
E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose Carboxymethyl cellulose is a thickener made by chemically modifying cellulose from wood or cotton.

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.
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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 12 dried rice noodles

From least to most processed, this one ranks 11th. 17% of the dried rice noodles 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 12 dried rice noodles, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0815055011242, last edited 30 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.