Is Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Chick'n Filets ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 38 ingredients
- 9 additives
- Nutri-Score C
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Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
water, enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), vital wheat gluten (ultra-processing marker), soy protein isolate, canola oil, pea protein, tapioca starch (processing marker), and less of 2% (textured wheat protein, wheat gluten (ultra-processing marker)), wheat starch (processing marker), methylcellulose (ultra-processing marker), degerminated yellow corn flour, salt (processing marker), sunflower oil (processing marker), natural flavor (ultra-processing marker), garlic powder, yeast extract, onion powder, spicès, dried onion, fructos, sodium acid pyrophosphate (ultra-processing marker), sodium bicarbonate, paprika (color), pea protein, titanium dioxide (ultra-processing marker) (color (ultra-processing marker)), xanthan gum (ultra-processing marker), citric acid, lactic acid
Additives: E171 Titanium dioxide , E270 Lactic acid , E330 Citric acid , E415 Xanthan gum , E450 Diphosphates , E450i Disodium diphosphate , E461 Methyl cellulose , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate
As written on the pack
water, enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), vital wheat gluten, soy protein isolate, canola oil, pea protein concentrate, tapioca starch, 2% or less of: textured wheat protein (wheat gluten, wheat starch), methylcellulose, degerminated yellow corn flour, salt, sunflower oil, natural flavor, garlic powder, yeast extract, onion powder, spicès, dried onion, fructos, leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate), paprika extractives (color), pea protein, titanium dioxide (color), xanthan gum, citric acid, lactic acid, contains: wheat, soy,
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.
- E171 Titanium dioxide Titanium dioxide is a white pigment.
- E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
- E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
- 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.
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.
- Gluten Wheat gluten, sold as "vital wheat gluten", is the protein washed out of wheat flour.
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.
- Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
- Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
Among 511 meat analogues
From least to most processed, this one ranks 431st. 80% of the meat analogues here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0842234002326, last edited 7 September 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.