Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco Chicken Chow Mein ultra-processed?

400g Meals with chicken Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Tesco Chicken Chow Mein

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:

  • 47 ingredients
  • No additives
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed meals with chicken

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

Noodles (Water, Wheat Flour, Salt, Turmeric, Paprika), Chicken 21% (Chicken Breast, Corn Starch, Salt, Black Pepper, Garlic, Vegetables, Bean Sprouts, Carrot, Red Pepper, Cabbage), Water, Shiitake Mushroom, Onion, Rice Wine, Garlic Purée, Rapeseed Oil, Ginger, Cornflour, Ginger, Sesame Oil, Sugar, Mushroom, Salt, Red Chilli Purée, Soya Bean, Wheat, Caramelised Sugar Syrup, Rice Vinegar, Corn Starch, Sunflower Oil, Molasses, Flavourings, Yeast Extract Powder, Wheat Flour, White Pepper, Alcohol, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin

As written on the pack

Cooked Noodles [Water, Wheat Flour, Salt, Turmeric, Paprika], Cooked Marinated Chicken (21%) [Chicken Breast, Corn Starch, Salt, Black Pepper, Garlic Powder), Vegetables [Bean Sprouts, Carrot, Red Pepper, Cabbage], Water, Shiitake Mushroom, Onion, Rice Wine, Garlic Purée, Rapeseed Oil, Ginger Purée, Cornflour, Ginger, Sesame Oil, Sugar, Mushroom Concentrate, Salt, Red Chilli Purée, Soya Bean, Wheat, Caramelised Sugar Syrup, Rice Vinegar, Corn Starch, Sunflower Oil, Molasses, Flavourings, Yeast Extract Powder, Wheat Flour, White Pepper, Alcohol. Wheat Flour contains: Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate. Iron, Niacin, Thiamin..

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.

  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
5 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.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 213 meals with chicken

From least to most processed, this one ranks 62nd. 79% of the meals with chicken 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 213 meals with chicken, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5054269267976, last edited 11 April 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.