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Is ICA Köttbullar och kulpotatis ultra-processed?

400 g Microwave meals Sold in Sweden

Pack of ICA Köttbullar och kulpotatis

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:

  • 60 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed microwave 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

Kulpotatis 45% (potatis, vatten, stabiliseringsmedel (e450i)), köttbullar 29% (gris, och nötkött 67%, vatten, potatis, potatisflingor, lök, potatismjöl, salt, potatisfiber, svartpeppar, kryddextrakt (svartpeppar, kryddpeppar)), gräddsås 21%, grädde 33%, mjölk, vatten, oxfond (vatten, oxben, morot, lök, purjolök, vitpeppar, lagerblad, tomatpuré, salt, arom, socker, fruktos), svartvinbärsgelé (socker, svartvinbärsjuice, syra (e330)), sojasås (vatten, sojabönsmjöl, sojabönor, vetemjöl, salt, socker, svampextrakt), rapsolja, salt, majsstärkelse, modifierad majsstärkelse, vitpeppar, lingonsylt 5% (lingon 50%, socker, vatten, förtjockningsmedel (e440))

Additives: E330 Citric acid , E440 Pectins , E450 Diphosphates , E450i Disodium diphosphate

As written on the pack

Kulpotatis 45 % (potatis, vatten, stabiliseringsmedel (E450i)), köttbullar 29 % (gris - och nötkött 67 %, vatten, potatis, potatisflingor, lök, potatismjöl, salt, potatisfiber, svartpeppar, kryddextrakt (svartpeppar, kryddpeppar)), gräddsås 21 % (grädde 33 %, mjölk, vatten, oxfond (vatten, oxben, morot, lök, purjolök, vitpeppar, lagerblad, tomatpuré, salt, arom, socker, fruktos), svartvinbärsgelé (socker, svartvinbärsjuice, syra (E330)), sojasås (vatten, sojabönsmjöl, sojabönor, vetemjöl, salt, socker, svampextrakt), rapsolja, salt, majsstärkelse, modifierad majsstärkelse, vitpeppar), lingonsylt 5 % (lingon 50 %, socker, vatten, förtjockningsmedel (E440)).

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.

  • E440 Pectins Pectins are gelling agents extracted from citrus peel or apple pomace.
  • E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • Thickener Thickeners, often gums or modified starches, make liquids more viscous so that a product feels richer than its ingredients alone would make it.
  • Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.

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.

  • Vegetable fiber Isolated plant fibres, such as inulin, oat fibre or bamboo fibre, are extracted industrially and added to change texture or support "source of fibre" claims.
  • Fructose Fructose is the sugar found naturally in fruit and honey, but as an ingredient it is refined industrially, mostly from corn starch.
5 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.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 350 microwave meals

From least to most processed, this one ranks 324th. 72% of the microwave 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 350 microwave meals, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 7318690161684, last edited 2 April 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.