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Is Tesco Plant Chef Vegetable tikka masala & rice ultra-processed?

400g Microwave meals Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Tesco Plant Chef Vegetable tikka masala & 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:

  • 30 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed microwave 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

Long Grain Rice (Water, Long Grain Rice), Water, Sweet Potato 12%, Cauliflower 12%, Onion, Tomato, Peas, Green Pepper, Rapeseed Oil, Coconut, Ginger, Garlic Purée, Cornflour, Spices, Coriander, Salt, Glucose Syrup, Yeast Extract, Gelling Agent (Amidated Pectin), Tomato Purée, Onion, Tapioca Starch, Black Pepper, Sugar, Garlic, Colour (Paprika Extract)

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E440 Pectins , E440ii Amidated pectin

As written on the pack

Cooked Long Grain Rice (Water, Long Grain Rice), Water, Sweet Potato 12%, Cauliflower 12%, Onion, Tomato, Peas, Green Pepper, Rapeseed Oil, Coconut Extract, Ginger Purée, Garlic Purée, Cornflour, Spices, Coriander, Salt, Glucose Syrup, Yeast Extract, Gelling Agent (Amidated Pectin), Tomato Purée, Onion Concentrate, Tapioca Starch, Black Pepper, Sugar, Garlic Powder, Colour (Paprika Extract).

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.
  • E440 Pectins Pectins are gelling agents extracted from citrus peel or apple pomace.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • Gelling agent Gelling agents such as pectin, gelatine or carrageenan set liquids into gels and stabilise textures.

Substances rarely used in home kitchens

Refined or extracted in factories, such as syrups made from starch or isolated proteins. The other hallmark of ultra-processed food.

  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Glucose syrup Glucose syrup is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
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 351 microwave meals

From least to most processed, this one ranks 313th. 72% of the microwave 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 351 microwave meals, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5059697751806, 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.