Is Waitrose 2 breaded chunky cod fillets ultra-processed?

350 g Frozen fishes 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

13 ingredients
1 additive
Nutri-Score A

Less processed frozen fishes

Pavés de saumon Rose du Pacifique Ocean Sea 1 ingredient · no additives NOVA group 1
Boneless Wild Pink Salmon Fillets The Fishmonger 2 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 1
The Fishmonger Skinless & Boneless Yellowfin Tuna Steaks The Fishmonger 2 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 1
White Fish Fillets Bay Fishmongers 1 ingredient · no additives NOVA group 1

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

Cod 68%, fortified wheat flour, rapeseed oil, maize starch (processing marker), durum wheat semolina, wheat gluten (ultra-processing marker), salt (processing marker), yeast, yeast extract, onion, dried garlic, black pepper extract, paprika extract (ultra-processing marker)

Additives: E160c Paprika extract

As written on the pack

Cod 68%,fortified wheat flour, rapeseed oil, maize starch, durum wheat semolina, wheat gluten, salt, yeast, yeast extract, onion powder, dried garlic, black pepper extract, paprika extract.

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.

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.

Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 49 frozen fishes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 19th. 78% of the frozen fishes 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 49 frozen fishes, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000169537213, 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.