Is Ashfield farm 24 beef meatballs ultra-processed?

Beef 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:

Dextrose
Glucose

12 ingredients
1 additive
Nutri-Score D

Less processed beef

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

british beef 90%, Water, Potato, Rice Flour, Coriander, Black Pepper, Sea Salt (processing marker), Parsley, Preservative (processing marker) (Sodium Metabisulphite), Salt (processing marker), Dextrose (ultra-processing marker)

Additives: E223 Sodium metabisulphite

As written on the pack

BRITISH BEEF (90%), Water, Potato Powder, Rice Flour, Coriander, Black Pepper, Sea Salt, Parsley, Preservative: Sodium Metabisulphite; Salt, Dextrose.

What makes it ultra-processed

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.

Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.

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.

Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 103 beef

From least to most processed, this one ranks 79th. 49% of the beef 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 103 beef, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4088600334530, last edited 22 July 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 D (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.