Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Trader Joe's Paneer Tikka Masala ultra-processed?

9 oz (255 g) Meals with chicken Sold in the United States

Pack of Trader Joe's Paneer Tikka Masala

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:

  • 50 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score A

Less processed meals with chicken

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

paneer tikka (tomatoes, tomatoes), tomato juice, salt, citric acid (acidifier), onions, water, paneer (milk, nonfat dry milk, acetic acid), canola oil, cream, instant nonfat dry milk (nonfat dry milk, lactose, vitamin a palmitate, vitamin d3), spices, cashews, garlic, butter, sugar, salt, tapioca starch, ghee (clarified butter), fenugreek leaves, cilantro, turmeric (spice, color), oleoresin of paprika (color), spinach pilaf (water), basmati rice, onions, spinach, carrots, canola oil, spices, garlic, sugar, salt, turmeric (spice, color)

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E260 Acetic acid , E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

PANEER TIKKA: TOMATOES (TOMATOES, TOMATO JUICE, SALT, CITRIC ACID [ACIDIFIER]), ONIONS, WATER, PANEER (PASTEURIZED MILK, NONFAT DRY MILK, ACETIC ACID), CANOLA OIL, CREAM, INSTANT NONFAT DRY MILK (NONFAT DRY MILK, LACTOSE, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, VITAMIN D3), SPICES, CASHEWS, GARLIC, BUTTER, SUGAR, SALT, TAPIOCA STARCH, GHEE (CLARIFIED BUTTER), FENUGREEK LEAVES, CILANTRO, TURMERIC (SPICE AND COLOR), OLEORESIN OF PAPRIKA (COLOR). SPINACH PILAF: WATER, BASMATI RICE, ONIONS, SPINACH, CARROTS, CANOLA OIL, SPICES, GARLIC, SUGAR, SALT, TURMERIC (SPICE AND COLOR). CONTAINS MILK, CASHEWS.

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.
  • 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.

  • Lactose Lactose is milk sugar, crystallised industrially from whey, a by-product of cheese making.
7 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.
  • Butter Butter, the fat churned from cream.
  • 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.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.
  • Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 213 meals with chicken

From least to most processed, this one ranks 160th. 79% of the meals with chicken 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 213 meals with chicken, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00991438, last edited 5 June 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.