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Is Wasabi chicken katsu curry with rice ultra-processed?

450 g Microwave meals Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Wasabi chicken katsu curry with 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:

  • 116 ingredients
  • 17 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed microwave meals

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

Ingredients Curry Sauce 43%, Water, Curry Paste, Vegetable Oil (Palm Oil, Canola Oil), Wheat Flour, Sugar, Salt, Curry (Turmeric, Coriander, Cumin, Fenugreek, Cinnamon, Fennel, Red Pepper, Dill, Tangerine, Spices), Corn Starch, Onion (Onion, Soybean, Glucose, Maltose), Dextrin, Garlic (Dried Garlic, Soybean, Glucose, Maltose), Flavour Enhancers (e621, e631, e627), Colour (e150 (a)), Yeast Extract, Emulsifiers (e473, e322, e471), Soybean Paste (Soybean, Salt, Rice), Soybean, Acidity Regulators (e296, e330), Red Pepper, Fermented Wheat Seasoning (Wheat, Yeast Extract, Dextrin), Flavourings, White Onion, Carrot, Potato, Rapeseed Oil, Cooked White Long Grain Rice (Water, White Long Grain Rice, Rapeseed Oil), Breaded Chicken Breast 19%, Chicken Breast, Batter Mix, Water, Flour Mix (Wheat Flour (Wheat, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, fliacin, Thiamin), Salt), Breadcrumbs (Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, fliacin, Thiamin), Yeast, Sunflower Oil, Sugar, Salt, Acid (e270), Antioxidant (e300)), Marinade Mix (Water, Maize Starch, Salt, Acidity Regulator (e500), Spirit Vinegar, Tapioca Starch, Dried Glucose Syrup), Rice Cone (Rice), Panko Breadcrumbs, Wheat Flour, Vegetable Oil (Palm Oil, Antioxidant (e306)), Salt, Yeast, Colour (e160 (c)), Rapeseed Oil

Additives: E1400 Dextrin , E150 Caramel , E160 Carotenoids , E170 Calcium carbonates , E170i Calcium carbonate , E270 Lactic acid , E296 Malic acid , E300 Ascorbic acid , E306 Tocopherol-rich extract , E322 Lecithins , E330 Citric acid , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E473 Sucrose esters of fatty acids , E500 Sodium carbonates , E621 Monosodium glutamate , E627 Disodium guanylate , E631 Disodium inosinate

As written on the pack

Ingredients Curry Sauce (43%) (Water, Curry Paste (Vegetable Oil (Palm Oil, Canola Oil), Wheat Flour, Sugar, Salt, Curry Powder (Turmeric, Coriander, Cumin, Fenugreek, Cinnamon, Fennel, Red Pepper, Dill, Dried Tangerine Peel, Spices), Corn Starch, Onion Powder (Onion Flakes, Soybean Powder, Glucose, Maltose), Dextrin, Garlic Powder (Dried Garlic, Defatted Soybean, Glucose, Maltose), Flavour Enhancers (E621, E631, E627), Colour (E150(a)), Yeast Extract, Emulsifiers (E473, E322 (Soya), E471), Soybean Paste (Soybean, Salt, Rice), Defatted Soybean, Acidity Regulators (E296, E330), Red Pepper, Fermented Wheat Seasoning (Wheat, Yeast Extract, Dextrin), Flavourings), White Onion, Carrot, Potato, Rapeseed Oil), Cooked White Long Grain Rice (Water, White Long Grain Rice, Rapeseed Oil), Breaded Chicken Breast (19%) (Chicken Breast, Batter Mix (Water, Flour Mix (Wheat Flour (Wheat, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, fliacin, Thiamin), Salt)), Breadcrumbs (Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, fliacin, Thiamin), Yeast, Sunflower Oil, Sugar, Salt, Acid (E270), Antioxidant (E300)), Marinade Mix (Water, Maize Starch, Salt, Acidity Regulator (E500), Spirit Vinegar Powder, Tapioca Starch, Dried Glucose Syrup), Rice Cone (Rice), Panko Breadcrumbs (Wheat Flour, Vegetable Oil (Palm Oil, Antioxidant (E306)), Salt, Yeast, Colour (E160(c))), Rapeseed Oil).

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.

  • E1400 Dextrin Dextrin is starch partly broken down by heat or acid, used as a thickener, binder and coating.
  • E150 Caramel A food additive authorised for industrial food production.
  • E160 Carotenoids A food additive authorised for industrial food production.
  • E170 Calcium carbonates Calcium carbonate is chalk.
  • E322 Lecithins Lecithins are fatty substances extracted mostly from soybeans, sunflower seeds or eggs, used as emulsifiers to keep fat and water mixed, for example in chocolate.
  • E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
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  • E473 Sucrose esters of fatty acids Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
  • E621 Monosodium glutamate Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation and used to strengthen savoury taste.
  • E627 Disodium guanylate Disodium guanylate is a flavour enhancer usually used together with MSG.
  • E631 Disodium inosinate Disodium inosinate is a flavour enhancer usually used together with MSG.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.
  • Flavour enhancer Flavour enhancers such as monosodium glutamate (E621) strengthen savoury taste without adding a flavour of their own.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

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.

  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Glucose syrup Glucose syrup is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
5 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.
  • 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 351 microwave meals

From least to most processed, this one ranks 351st. 72% of the microwave meals 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 351 microwave meals, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5056297000006, last edited 7 April 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.