Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco chicken tikka masala ultra-processed?

Chicken tikka masala Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Tesco chicken tikka masala

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 A

Less processed chicken tikka masala

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

Chicken Breast 35%, Chicken Breast, Salt, Tomato Purée, Onion, Onion, Water, Tomato 6%, Yogurt, Double Cream, Rapeseed Oil, Modified Maize Starch, Ginger, Garlic Purée, Tomato Juice, Coriander Leaf, Cumin, Coriander, Paprika, Salt, Cumin Seed, Sugar, Coriander Seed, Chilli, Garlic, Cinnamon, Fennel Seed, Black Pepper, Ginger Powder, Clove, Nutmeg, Colour (Algal Carotene), Caraway Seed, Chilli, Made using Thai chicken

Additives: E160a Carotene , E160aiv Algal carotenes

As written on the pack

Cooked Chicken Breast (35%) [Chicken Breast, Salt). Tomato Purée, Onion, Onion Purée, Water, Tomato (6%), Yogurt (Milk) (5%), Double Cream (Milk) (5%), Rapeseed Oil, Modified Maize Starch, Ginger Purée, Garlic Purée, Tomato Juice, Coriander Leaf, Cumin Powder, Coriander, Paprika, Salt, Cumin Seed, Sugar, Coriander Seed, Chilli Flakes, Garlic Powder. Cinnamon, Fennel Seed, Black Pepper, Ginger Powder, Clove Powder. Nutmeg, Colour (Algal Carotene), Caraway Seed, Chilli Powder. 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.

  • E160a Carotene Carotenes are orange-yellow pigments, either synthesised or extracted from carrots, algae or palm oil.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • 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.

  • 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 19 chicken tikka masala

From least to most processed, this one ranks 11th. 89% of the chicken tikka masala 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 19 chicken tikka masala, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5057753934019, 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 A (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.