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Is Specially Selected Tikka Masala cooking sauce ultra-processed?

360 g Tikka masala sauce Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Specially Selected Tikka Masala cooking sauce

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:

  • 36 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed tikka masala sauce

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

water, tomato 16%, single cream 13%, yogurt, onion 10%, tomato paste 10%, spice cap seasoning 3% (rice flour, paprika powder, cumin, sugar, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon powder, anti-caking agents (calcium phosphates), silicon dioxide, fenugreek, clove, paprika extract, flavouring), rapeseed oil, ginger, sugar, garlic puree, modified maize starch, salt, coriander leaf, concentrated lemon juice, paprika powder, acidity regulator (lactic acid), turmeric powder, chilli, cumin, paprika extract

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E270 Lactic acid

As written on the pack

water, tomato (16%), single cream (13%) (milk), yogurt (milk), onion (10%), tomato paste (10%), spice cap seasoning (3%) (rice flour, paprika powder, cumin powder, sugar, coriander powder, cardamom powder, cinnamon powder, anti-caking agents: calcium phosphates, silicon dioxide, fenugreek powder, clove powder, paprika extract, flavouring), rapeseed oil, ginger purée, sugar, garlic puree, modified maize starch, salt, coriander leaf, concentrated lemon juice, paprika powder, acidity regulator: lactic acid, turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin powder, paprika extract, allergy advice: for allergens, see ingredients in bold, may also contain peanuts, nuts and mustard,

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.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary 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.

  • Anti-caking agent Anti-caking agents are substances which reduce the tendency of individual particles of a foodstuff to adhere to one another.
  • 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 20 tikka masala sauce

From least to most processed, this one ranks 12th. 90% of the tikka masala sauce 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 20 tikka masala sauce, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4088600054421, last edited 28 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.
  • 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.