Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Waitrose & Partners Mexican Style Rice ultra-processed?

Rice dishes Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Waitrose & Partners Mexican Style Rice

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:

  • 19 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed rice dishes

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

Long grain rice 72%, sweetcorn 8%, adzuki beans 5%, red pepper, tomato paste, lime juice, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, flavouring, onion, chilli, yeast powder, smoked flavouring, garlic, coriander, cumin, colour (paprika extract), turmeric powder

Additives: E160c Paprika extract

As written on the pack

Cooked Long grain rice (72%), sweetcorn (8%), adzuki beans (5%), red pepper, tomato paste, lime juice, sunflower oil and/or rapeseed oil, flavouring, onion, chilli, yeast powder, smoked flavouring, garlic powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, colour: paprika extract, turmeric powder

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.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
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.

  • Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 192 rice dishes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 131st. 71% of the rice dishes 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 192 rice dishes, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000169547700, 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.