Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco Southern Fried 4 Chicken Steaks ultra-processed?

380 g (4) Chicken breast without skin raw Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Tesco Southern Fried 4 Chicken Steaks

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:

  • 25 ingredients
  • No additives
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed chicken breast without skin raw

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 57%, Water, Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Rapeseed Oil, Pea Fibre, Wheat Starch, Wheat Gluten, Black Pepper, Salt, Dextrose, Onion, Garlic, Fennel, Yeast, Yeast Extract Powder, White Pepper, Black Pepper Extract, Nutmeg, Sunflower Oil, Onion Oil

As written on the pack

Chicken (57%), Water, Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin], Rapeseed Oil, Pea Fibre, Wheat Starch, Wheat Gluten, Black Pepper, Salt, Dextrose, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Fennel, Yeast, Yeast Extract Powder, White Pepper, Black Pepper Extract, Nutmeg, Sunflower Oil, Onion Oil.

What makes it ultra-processed

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.

  • Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Gluten Wheat gluten, sold as "vital wheat gluten", is the protein washed out of wheat flour.
  • Vegetable fiber Isolated plant fibres, such as inulin, oat fibre or bamboo fibre, are extracted industrially and added to change texture or support "source of fibre" claims.
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.

  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 8 chicken breast without skin raw

From least to most processed, this one ranks 7th. 25% of the chicken breast without skin raw 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 8 chicken breast without skin raw, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5057545028483, last edited 30 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.