Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco Spicy Chicken Pasta ultra-processed?

1 275g Pasta salads Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Tesco Spicy Chicken Pasta

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:

  • 26 ingredients
  • No additives
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed pasta salads

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

Cooked Pasta (Water, Durum Wheat Semolina), Chicken Breast 9%, Water, Tomato Paste, Red Pepper, Onion, Spirit Vinegar, Sugar, Rapeseed Oil, Red Chilli Purée, Cornflour, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Basil, Garlic Purée, Salt, Oregano, Chilli, Mustard Seeds, Black Pepper, Yeast Extract, Onion Powder, Maltodextrin, Mushroom Extract, Lemon Juice

As written on the pack

Cooked Pasta [Water, Durum Wheat Semolina], Chicken Breast (9%), Water, Tomato Paste, Red Pepper, Onion, Spirit Vinegar, Sugar, Rapeseed Oil, Red Chilli Purée, Cornflour, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Basil, Garlic Purée, Salt, Oregano, Dried Chilli Flakes, Mustard Seeds, Black Pepper, Yeast Extract, Onion Powder, Maltodextrin, Mushroom Extract Powder, Lemon Juice Powder.

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.

  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
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 42 pasta salads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 18th. 60% of the pasta salads 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 42 pasta salads, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 10072967, last edited 28 September 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.