Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Ikea Huvudroll plant based meatball ultra-processed?

Meat analogues Sold in Canada

Pack of Ikea Huvudroll plant based meatball

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:

  • 25 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

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

Pea protein, Water, Vegetable oil, Potatoes, Binding mixes (crumbs (rice flour, dextrose (maize), salt, mono- and diglycerides, pea starch, pea protein), methyl-cellulose), Onion, Oat bran, Natural flavouring, Mushroom, Dried apple, Salt, Tomato, Premix vitamins, minerals, Black pepper, Allspice

Additives: E461 Methyl cellulose , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

As written on the pack

Pea protein, Water, Vegetable oil, Potatoes, Binding mixes (crumbs [rice flour, dextrose (maize), salt, mono and diglycerides, pea starch, pea protein], methyl - cellulose), Onion, Oat bran, Natural flavouring, Mushroom concentrate, Dried apple, Salt, Tomato powder, Premix vitamins and minerals, Black pepper, Allspice. Contains: Oat.

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.

  • 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.
  • E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
  • 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.

  • Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 512 meat analogues

From least to most processed, this one ranks 328th. 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 1905082210004, last edited 9 July 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.