Is Tesco Satay stir fry sauce ultra-processed?

Sauces 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
Modified starch
E160c Paprika extract

29 ingredients
2 additives
Nutri-Score C

Less processed sauces

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

Water, Peanut 9%, Sugar (processing marker), Soy Sauce (processing marker) 4% (Water, Soya Bean, Wheat, Salt (processing marker)), Shallot 3%, Modified Maize Starch (ultra-processing marker), Garlic, Spices 1% (Coriander, Turmeric, Cumin, Ginger, Fenugreek, Fennel, Black Pepper), Galangal, Tamarind, Chilli, Salt (processing marker), Acidity Regulator (Lactic Acid), Lemongrass, Makrut Lime Leaf, Colour (ultra-processing marker) (Paprika Extract (ultra-processing marker))

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E270 Lactic acid

As written on the pack

Water, Peanut (9%), Sugar, Soy Sauce (4%) [Water, Soya Bean, Wheat, Salt], Shallot (3%), Modified Maize Starch, Garlic, Ground Spices (1%) [Coriander, Turmeric, Cumin, Ginger, Fenugreek, Fennel, Black Pepper], Galangal, Tamarind Extract, Chilli, Salt, Acidity Regulator (Lactic Acid), Lemongrass, Makrut Lime Leaf, 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.
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.

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.
Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 2,962 sauces

From least to most processed, this one ranks 2285th. 60% of the sauces 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 2,962 sauces, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5052910596277, 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.