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Is Tesco Chicken Jalfrezi with Pilau Rice ultra-processed?

400 g Chicken curry Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Tesco Chicken Jalfrezi with Pilau Rice

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:

  • 70 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed chicken curry

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 Pilau Rice (Water, Basmati Rice, Rapeseed Oil, Cumin Seed, Salt, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Cardamom Pods, Cardamom, Bay Leaf, Colour (Curcumin)), Chicken Breast 21% (Chicken Breast, Tomato Purée, Ginger, Garlic Purée, Cornflour, Water, Salt, Soya Oil, Yogurt Powder, Green Chilli, Palm Oil, Chilli, Yogurt, Skimmed Milk, Coriander, Cumin, Colour (Paprika Extract), Ginger Powder, Cinnamon, Black Pepper, Mace, Fenugreek, Star Anise, Turmeric, Basil), Onion, Tomato, Water, Red Pepper, Tomato Purée, Rapeseed Oil, Ginger, Garlic Purée, Sugar, Green Chilli, Coriander, Coriander Leaf, Paprika, Lemon Juice, Cumin, Cornflour, Salt, Turmeric Powder, Colour (Paprika Extract), Cumin Seed, Chilli, Fenugreek, Cardamom, Bay Leaf, Fennel, Clove, Cinnamon Powder, Cardamom, Black Pepper, Made using Thai chicken

Additives: E100 Curcumin , E160c Paprika extract

As written on the pack

Cooked Pilau Rice [Water, Basmati Rice, Rapeseed Oil, Cumin Seed, Salt, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Cardamom Pods, Cardamom Powder, Bay Leaf Powder, Colour (Curcumin)], Cooked Marinated Chicken Breast (21%) [Chicken Breast, Tomato Purée, Ginger Purée, Garlic Purée, Cornflour, Water, Salt, Soya Oil, Yogurt Powder (Milk), Green Chilli Purée, Palm Oil, Chilli Powder, Yogurt (Milk), Skimmed Milk, Coriander Powder, Cumin Powder, Colour (Paprika Extract), Ginger Powder, Cinnamon, Black Pepper, Mace, Fenugreek, Star Anise, Turmeric, Basil], Onion, Tomato, Water, Red Pepper, Tomato Purée, Rapeseed Oil, Ginger Purée, Garlic Purée, Sugar, Green Chilli, Coriander Powder, Coriander Leaf, Paprika, Lemon Juice, Cumin Powder, Cornflour, Salt, Turmeric Powder, Colour (Paprika Extract), Cumin Seed, Chilli Powder, Fenugreek, Cardamom Powder, Bay Leaf Powder, Fennel, Clove Powder, Cinnamon Powder, Cardamom, Black Pepper. Made using Thai chicken.

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.

  • E100 Curcumin 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.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
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.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 18 chicken curry

From least to most processed, this one ranks 16th. 61% of the chicken curry 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 18 chicken curry, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5059697722523, last edited 27 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.