Is Tesco Mediterranean Inspired Couscous ultra-processed?

110g Prepared couscous Sold in the United Kingdom

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Colour
Flavouring
E160c Paprika extract

23 ingredients
4 additives
Nutri-Score B

Less processed prepared couscous

Roasted Vegetable Couscous M&S 12 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Moroccan style Fruity Couscous Marks & Spencer 21 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Roasted Butternut, Lentil & Goats Cheese with a Sweet & Tangy Balsamic Dressing M&S Food 17 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Fruity Moroccan Couscous Deluxe 29 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3

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

Couscous (Durum Wheat Semolina), Tomato, Dried Tomato, Flavourings (ultra-processing marker) (contain Barley), Palm Oil, Sugar (processing marker), Dried Onion, Black Olives (Black Olive, Salt (processing marker), Acidity Regulator (Lactic Acid), Stabiliser (Ferrous Gluconate)), Salt (processing marker), Herbs, Dried Garlic, Colour (ultra-processing marker) (Paprika Extract (ultra-processing marker)), Citric Acid, V

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E270 Lactic acid , E330 Citric acid , E579 Iron gluconate

As written on the pack

Couscous (Durum Wheat Semolina), Tomato Powder, Dried Tomato, Flavourings (contain Barley), Palm Oil, Sugar, Dried Onion, Dried Black Olives [Black Olive, Salt, Acidity Regulator (Lactic Acid), Stabiliser (Ferrous Gluconate)], Salt, Dried Herbs, Dried Garlic, Colour (Paprika Extract), Citric Acid. V Suitable for vegetarians

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.
Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

3 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 16 prepared couscous

From least to most processed, this one ranks 9th. 69% of the prepared couscous 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 16 prepared couscous, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5031021428721, 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.