Is Tesco Thai salmon and cod fishcake ultra-processed?

290g Fish preparations 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:

Gluten
E160c Paprika extract

40 ingredients
1 additive
Nutri-Score B

Less processed fish preparations

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

Salmon fish 21%, Cod fish 20%, Potato, Wheat flour (wheat flour, calcium carbonate, iron, niacin, thiamin), Rapeseed oil, potato, Spring onion, Red pepper, Wheat starch (processing marker), Ginger, Lime juice, Durum wheat semolina, Lime, Coriander, Desiccated coconut, Garlic purée, Sugar (processing marker), Lemongrass, Salt (processing marker), Chilli, Wheat gluten (ultra-processing marker), Anchovy fish, Yeast, Parsley, Chilli, Garlic powder, red chilli, Shallot, Galangal, Shrimp crustacean, Sunflower oil (processing marker), Makrut lime peel, paprika extract (ultra-processing marker), Black pepper extract, Pepper

Additives: E160c Paprika extract

As written on the pack

Salmon fish 21%, Cod fish 20%, Potato, Wheat flour (wheat flour, calcium carbonate, iron, niacin, thiamin), Rapeseed oil, Dried potato, Spring onion, Red pepper, Wheat starch, Ginger purée, Lime juice, Durum wheat semolina, Lime zest, Coriander, Desiccated coconut, Garlic purée, Sugar, Lemongrass, Salt, Chilli, Wheat gluten, Anchovy fish, Yeast, Parsley, Chilli flakes, Garlic powder, Dried red chilli, Shallot, Galangal, Shrimp crustacean, Sunflower oil, Makrut lime peel, Colour (paprika extract), Black pepper extract, Pepper

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.

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.

Gluten Wheat gluten, sold as "vital wheat gluten", is the protein washed out of wheat flour.

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.
Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 209 fish preparations

From least to most processed, this one ranks 102nd. 74% of the fish preparations 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 209 fish preparations, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5059697739521, last edited 4 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.