Is it ultra-processed?
Menu

Is Tesco Skinless and boneless mackerel fillets in a katsu curry sauce ultra-processed?

125g Tinned Mackerels Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Tesco Skinless and boneless mackerel fillets in a katsu curry sauce

It's processed, but not ultra-processed

  1. 1 Unprocessed
  2. 2 Kitchen staple
  3. 3 Processed
  4. 4 Ultra-processed

Whole foods combined with:

  • 30 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed canned fishes

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

Mackerel (Water, Sunflower Typical values 100g Oil, Apple Purée, Sugar, Curry, Coriander, Turmeric, Fenugreek, Salt, Chilli, Cumin, Black Pepper, Garlic, Ginger, Pimento, Bay Leaf), Corn Starch, Tomato Purée, Dried Whole Milk, Salt, Turmeric, Onion, Black Pepper, Star Anise, Soya Bean, Clove, Acidity Regulator (Acetic Acid), Wheat Flour

Additives: E260 Acetic acid

As written on the pack

Mackerel (Fish) (65%, Water, Sunflower Typical values 100g Oil, Apple Purée, Sugar, Curry Powder [Coriander, Turmeric, Fenugreek, Salt, Chilli Powder, Cumin, Black Pepper, Garlic, Ginger, Pimento, Bay Leaf), Corn Starch, Tomato Purée, Dried Whole Milk, Salt, Turmeric, Onion Powder, Black Pepper, Star Anise, Soya Bean, Clove, Acidity Regulator (Acetic Acid), Wheat Flour

What makes it processed

Processed ingredients

Processed foods in their own right, such as cheese or milk powder.

  • Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.

Culinary ingredients

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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 15 tinned Mackerels

From least to most processed, this one ranks 14th. 7% of the tinned Mackerels 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 15 tinned Mackerels, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5057753905989, last edited 24 April 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 D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.