Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Beyond Meat Beyond Smash Burgers ultra-processed?

Meat analogues Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Beyond Meat Beyond Smash Burgers

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:

  • 20 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed meat analogues

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, pea protein 15%, rapeseed oil, flavouring, rice protein, coconut oil, yeast, preservative (potassium lactate), vinegar, stabilisers (methyl cellulose, calcium chloride), potato starch, salt, apple extract, colour (beetroot red), pomegranate juice, potassium salt

Additives: E162 Beetroot red , E326 Potassium lactate , E461 Methyl cellulose , E509 Calcium chloride

As written on the pack

Water, pea protein* (15%), rapeseed oil, flavouring, rice protein, coconut oil, dried yeast, preservative (potassium lactate), vinegar, stabilisers (methyl cellulose, calcium chloride), potato starch, salt, apple extract, colour (beetroot red), concentrated pomegranate juice, potassium salt.

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.

  • E162 Beetroot red Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
  • E326 Potassium lactate Antioxidants are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by oxidation, such as fat rancidity and colour changes.
  • E461 Methyl cellulose 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.
  • 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.
4 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.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 512 meat analogues

From least to most processed, this one ranks 349th. 80% of the meat analogues 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 512 meat analogues, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 1230000116527, last edited 5 May 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.