Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco bbq chicken pasta ultra-processed?

275g Poultry meals Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Tesco bbq chicken pasta

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:

  • 33 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score B

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

Cooked Pasta (Water, Durum Wheat Semolina), Chicken Breast Fat 13%, Sweetcorn, Water, Onion, Red Pepper, Sugar, Mature Cheddar Cheese (Annatto Norbixin), Mature Cheddar Cheese, Red Wine Vinegar, Tomato Paste, Protein Treacle, Cornflour, Parsley, Salt, Smoked Salt Paprika, Cane Molasses, Spices, Herbs, Garlic Purée, Garlic, Black Pepper, Dried Onion, Garlic Powder, Tomato Powder, Paprika Extract, welfare, Cayenne Pepper, Mace, Palm Oil

Additives: E160b Annatto , E160bii Annatto norbixin , E160c Paprika extract

As written on the pack

Cooked Pasta [Water, Durum Wheat Semolina], Chicken Breast Fat (13%), Sweetcorn, Water, Onion, Red Pepper, Sugar, Mature Cheddar Cheese (with Colour: Annatto Norbixin) (Milk) (2.5%), Mature Cheddar Cheese (Milk) (2.5%), Red Wine Vinegar, Tomato Paste. Protein Treacle, Cornflour, Parsley, Salt, Smoked Salt Paprika, Cane Molasses, Spices, Herbs, Roasted Garlic Purée, Garlic, Black Pepper, Dried Onion, Garlic Powder, Tomato Powder, Colour (Paprika Extract), welfare and Cayenne Pepper, Ground Mace, Palm Oil.

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.

  • E160b Annatto Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
  • E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
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.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 233 poultry meals

From least to most processed, this one ranks 130th. 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 5057753900786, last edited 9 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.