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Is Waitrose Tikka masala paste ultra-processed?

180 g Indian-style sauces Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Waitrose Tikka masala paste

It's processed, but not ultra-processed

  1. 1 Unprocessed
  2. 2 Kitchen staple
  3. 3 Processed
  4. 4 Ultra-processed

Whole foods combined with:

  • 35 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed sauces

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

Tomato purée, water, onion, creamed coconut 6%, c purée 5%, ginger 4%, coriander, sugar, rapeseed oil, papria, maize starch, salt, onion, chilli, acidity regulator (citric acid), yeast extract, turmeric, fenugreek, onion extract (salt, sunflower oil, onion oil), coriander, onion, cassia, ginger, cumin, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, dill, fennel, mace, black pepper

Additives: E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

Tomato purée, water, onion purée, creamed coconut (6%), c purée (5%), ginger purée (4%), ground coriander, sugar, rapeseed oil, papria, maize starch, salt, concentrated onion juice, chilli powder, acidity regulator (citric acid), yeast extract, turmeric, dried fenugreek, onion extract (salt, sunflower oil, onion oil), coriander, toasted onion powder, cassia, ginger, cumin, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, dill, fennel, mace, black pepper

What makes it processed

Culinary ingredients

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 fat Vegetable fats are oils that are solid at room temperature, such as palm or coconut fat.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 33 indian-style sauces

From least to most processed, this one ranks 9th. 73% of the indian-style sauces 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 33 indian-style sauces, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000169615737, 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.