Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Huel Banana ultra-processed?

1 Bottle Meal replacements Sold in the United Kingdom and Spain

Pack of Huel Banana

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:

  • 67 ingredients
  • 5 additives

Less processed meal replacements

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, Tapioca Starch, Rapeseed Oil, Gluten-Free Oat Flour, Flaxseed, Medium-Chain Triglyceride Powder (from Coconut), Soluble Vegetable Fibre (Chicory, Corn), Micronutrient Blend, Minerals (Potassium (as Potassium Citrate, Potassium Chloride), Chloride, Calcium (as Calcium Carbonate), Magnesium (as Magnesium Citrate), Phosphorus (as Magnesium Phosphate), Copper (as Copper Gluconate), Zinc (as Zinc Oxide), Iodine (as Potassium Iodide), Chromium (as Chromium Picolinate)), Vitamins (Vitamin C (as L-Ascorbic Acid), Vitamin K (K2, as Menaquinone-7), Vitamin E (as D-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate), Vitamin A (as Retinyl Acetate), Niacin (as Niacinamide), Vitamin D (D2, as Ergocalciferol), Vitamin B12 (as Cyanocobalamin), Pantothenic Acid (as Calcium-D-Pantothenate), Biotin (as D-Biotin), Vitamin B6 (as Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), Vitamin B2 (as Riboflavin), Vitamin B1 (as Thiamine Mononitrate), Folate (as Calcium-L Methylfolate)), Choline, Natural Flavourings, Brown Rice Flour, Sunflower Lecithin, Turmeric Extract, Gellan Gum, Sucralose

Additives: E100 Curcumin , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E418 Gellan gum , E955 Sucralose

As written on the pack

Water, Pea Protein, Tapioca Starch, Rapeseed Oil, Gluten-Free Oat Flour, Ground Flaxseed, Medium-Chain Triglyceride Powder (from Coconut), Soluble Vegetable Fibre (Chicory, Corn), Micronutrient Blend (Minerals (Potassium (as Potassium Citrate, Potassium Chloride), Chloride, Calcium (as Calcium Carbonate), Magnesium (as Magnesium Citrate), Phosphorus (as Magnesium Phosphate), Copper (as Copper Gluconate), Zinc (as Zinc Oxide), Iodine (as Potassium Iodide), Chromium (as Chromium Picolinate)), Vitamins (Vitamin C (as L-Ascorbic Acid), Vitamin K (K2, as Menaquinone-7), Vitamin E (as D-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate), Vitamin A (as Retinyl Acetate), Niacin (as Niacinamide), Vitamin D (D2, as Ergocalciferol), Vitamin B12 (as Cyanocobalamin), Pantothenic Acid (as Calcium-D-Pantothenate), Biotin (as D-Biotin), Vitamin B6 (as Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), Vitamin B2 (as Riboflavin), Vitamin B1 (as Thiamine Mononitrate), Folate (as Calcium-L Methylfolate)), Choline), Natural Flavourings, Brown Rice Flour, Emulsifier: Sunflower Lecithin, Turmeric Extract, Thickener: Gellan Gum, Sweetener: Sucralose

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.

  • E100 Curcumin 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.
  • 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.
  • E418 Gellan gum Stabilisers are substances which make it possible to maintain the physico-chemical state of a foodstuff; stabilisers include substances which enable the maintenance of a homogenous dispersion of two or more immiscible substances in a foodstuff, substances which stabilise, retain or intensify an existing colour of a foodstuff and substances which increase the binding capacity of the food, including the formation of cross-links between proteins enabling the binding of food pieces into re-constituted food.
  • E955 Sucralose Sucralose is a sweetener made by chlorinating sugar.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
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.

  • 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 56 meal replacements

From least to most processed, this one ranks 17th. 96% of the meal replacements 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 56 meal replacements, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5060495116988, last edited 19 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.
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.