Is it ultra-processed?
Menu

Is Waitrose Tikka masala sauce ultra-processed?

450 g Tikka masala sauce Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Waitrose Tikka masala sauce

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:

  • 30 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed tikka masala sauce

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, single cream, tomatoes 6%, yogurt 4% (whole milk, skimmed milk powder), concentrated tomato purée 3%, modified maine starch, sugar, rapeseed oil, dried onions, coriander leaf 1%, ginger, garlic purée, coriander 1%, paprika, salt, smoked paprika, acidity regulator (lactic acid), cumin, ground turmeric ground fenugreek 0.2%, colour (paprika extract), cardamom, cinnamon, fennel, chilli, clove, dried fenugreek leaf ALLERGY ADVICE

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E270 Lactic acid

As written on the pack

Water, single cream (milk) (7%), tomatoes (6%), yogurt (4%) (whole milk, skimmed milk powder), concentrated tomato purée (3%), modified maine starch, sugar, rapeseed oil, dried onions, dried coriander leaf (1.0%), ginger purée, garlic purée, ground coriander (1.0%), ground paprika, salt, ground smoked paprika, acidity regulator (lactic acid), ground cumin, ground turmeric ground fenugreek (0.2%), colour (paprika extract), ground cardamom, ground cinnamon, ground fennel, ground chilli, ground clove, dried fenugreek leaf ALLERGY ADVICE: For allergens see ingredients in bold. May also contain peanuts and nuts

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.
3 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.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • 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 20 tikka masala sauce

From least to most processed, this one ranks 8th. 90% of the tikka masala sauce 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 20 tikka masala sauce, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000169619728, 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.