Is Tesco Taco Seasoning ultra-processed?

Variety packs 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
Flavouring
Maltodextrin
E160c Paprika extract
E551 Silicon dioxide

17 ingredients
2 additives
Nutri-Score B

Less processed variety packs

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

maltodextrin (ultra-processing marker), chilli, sait, cumin, onion, potato starch (processing marker), garlic, red pepper, paprika, black pepper, oregano, rapeseed oil, anti-caking agent (processing marker) (silicon dioxide (ultra-processing marker)), colour (ultra-processing marker) (paprika extract (ultra-processing marker)), flavouring (ultra-processing marker)

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E551 Silicon dioxide

As written on the pack

maltodextrin, chilli, sait, cumin, onion powder, potato starch, garlic powder, red pepper, paprika, black pepper, oregano, rapeseed oil, anti-caking agent (silicon dioxide), colour (paprika extract), flavouring.

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.
E551 Silicon dioxide A food additive used to dissolve, dilute, disperse or otherwise physically modify a food additive or nutrient without altering its function -and without exerting any technological effect itself- in order to facilitate its handling, application or use of the food additive or nutrient.
Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

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.

2 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.

Anti-caking agent Anti-caking agents are substances which reduce the tendency of individual particles of a foodstuff to adhere to one another.
Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 53 variety packs

From least to most processed, this one ranks 41st. 62% of the variety packs 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 53 variety packs, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5057373842510, 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 B (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.