Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco wafer thin roast chicken slices ultra-processed?

36slices 400g Cooked chicken breast slices Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Tesco wafer thin roast chicken slices

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:

  • 23 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score A

Less processed cooked chicken breast slices

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 Breast 84%, Water, Pea Starch, Salt, Dextrose, Stabilisers (Tetrapotassium Diphosphate, Disodium Diphosphate), Colour (Plain Caramel), Chicken, Yeast Extract, Chicken Fat, Sugar, Onion, Lemon Juice from Concentrate, Black Pepper, Sage, Made using British and EU chicken, Allergy Advice Not suitable for egg allergy sufferers due to the production methods, Caution Although every care has been taken to remove bones, some may remain, It is normal for there to be an odour from this product which will disappear quickly

Additives: E150a Plain caramel , E450 Diphosphates , E450i Disodium diphosphate , E450v Tetrapotassium diphosphate

As written on the pack

Chicken Breast (84%). Water, Pea Starch, Salt, Dextrose, Stabilisers (Tetrapotassium Diphosphate, Disodium Diphosphate), Colour (Plain Caramel), Chicken, Yeast Extract, Chicken Fat, Sugar, Onion Powder, Lemon Juice from Concentrate, Black Pepper, Sage Extract. Made using British and EU chicken. Allergy Advice Not suitable for egg allergy sufferers due to the production methods. Caution Although every care has been taken to remove bones, some may remain. It is normal for there to be an odour from this product which will disappear quickly

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.

  • E150a Plain caramel Plain caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars.
  • E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.

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.
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.

  • Prepared meats Products in the category "Prepared meats" are at least group 3.
  • 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 53 cooked chicken breast slices

From least to most processed, this one ranks 48th. 85% of the cooked chicken breast slices 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 cooked chicken breast slices, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5057967620968, 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 A (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.