Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Huel Vanilla Flavour ultra-processed?

1.75kg Dried meals Sold in the United Kingdom and France

Pack of Huel Vanilla Flavour

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:

  • 44 ingredients
  • 5 additives

Less processed dried 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

Oats, Pea Protein, Flaxseeds, Brown Rice Protein, Natural Vanilla Flavouring, MCT Powder (from Coconut), Sunflower Oil, Micronutrient Blend, Thickeners (Xanthan Gum and Guar Gum), Flavour, Sweetener (Sucralose, Potassium Chloride), Coconut Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin C, L-Choline Bitartrate, Lutein, Plant-Based Vitamin D3, Lycopene, Vitamin E (as D-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate), Niacin (as Niacinamide), Vitamin K2 (as MK-7), Vitamin A (as Retinol Acetate), vitamins, vitamin D2, Pantothenic Acid (as Calcium-D-Pantothenate), Vitamin B6 (as Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), Riboflavin, Vitamin K1, Chromium Chloride, Potassium Iodide, L-Methylfolate Calcium, Biotin, Vitamin 812 (as Cyanocobalamin)

Additives: E160d Lycopene , E161b Lutein , E412 Guar gum , E415 Xanthan gum , E955 Sucralose

As written on the pack

Oats, Pea Protein, Flaxseeds, Brown Rice Protein, Natural Vanilla Flavouring, MCT Powder (from Coconut), Sunflower Oil Powder, Micronutrient Blend*, Thickeners: Xanthan Gum and Guar Gum, Flavour, Sweetener: Sucralose. *Potassium Chloride, Coconut Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin C, L-Choline Bitartrate, Lutein, Plant-Based Vitamin D3, Lycopene, Vitamin E (as D-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate), Niacin (as Niacinamide), Vitamin K2 (as MK-7), Vitamin A (as Retinol Acetate), Vitamin D2, Pantothenic Acid (as Calcium-D—Pantothenate), Vitamin B6 (as Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), Riboflavin, Vitamin K1, Chromium Chloride, Potassium Iodide, L—Methylfolate Calcium, Biotin, Vitamin 812 (as Cyanocobalamin).

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.

  • E160d Lycopene 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.
  • E161b Lutein 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.
  • E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.
  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • E955 Sucralose Sucralose is a sweetener made by chlorinating sugar.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
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  • Sweetener Sweeteners give sweetness with few or no calories, many at hundreds of times the strength of sugar.
  • Thickener Thickeners, often gums or modified starches, make liquids more viscous so that a product feels richer than its ingredients alone would make it.
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.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 82 dried meals

From least to most processed, this one ranks 62nd. 88% of the dried 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 82 dried meals, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5060495111006, last edited 17 March 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.