Is Waitrose & Partners Bold Thai Red Paste ultra-processed?

Red curry pastes 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:

Modified starch

19 ingredients
No additives
Nutri-Score C

Less processed red curry pastes

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

Water, lemongrass 22%, galangal 11%, onion, garlic 7%, rice bran oil (processing marker), red chilli 4%, sugar (processing marker), red chilli 3%, shrimp paste 2% (shrimp, salt (processing marker)), salt (processing marker), makrut lime peel, coriander, makrut lime leaf, modified tapioca starch (ultra-processing marker), acidity regulator (citric acid)

As written on the pack

Water, lemongrass (22%), galangal (11%), onion, garlic (7%), rice bran oil, dried red chilli (4%), sugar, red chilli (3%), shrimp paste (2%) (shrimp (crustacean), salt), salt, makrut lime peel, coriander powder, makrut lime leaf, modified tapioca starch, acidity regulator (citric acid) ALLERGY ADVICE: For allergens see ingredients in bold. May contain sesame.

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.

Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.

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 14 red curry pastes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 7th. 57% of the red curry pastes 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 14 red curry pastes, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000169611920, 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 C (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.