Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Ikea Vegetable balls ultra-processed?

1kg Vegetables based foods Sold in the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic and 4 more countries

Pack of Ikea Vegetable balls

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:

  • 22 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed vegetables based foods

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

Chickpeas 19%, carrots 15%, peas 15%, red peppers 15%, corn 14%, kale 10%, rapeseed oil, pea protein, onion, pea starch, salt, thickener (e461), brown sugar, yeast extract, dried onion, sage, dried carrot, black pepper, parsley, turmeric, bay leaves

Additives: E461 Methyl cellulose

As written on the pack

Chickpeas* (19%), carrots* (15%), peas* (15%), red peppers* (15%), corn* (14%), kale* (10%), rapeseed oil, pea protein, onion , pea starch, salt, thickener (E461), brown sugar, yeast extract, dried onion, sage, dried carrot, black pepper, parsley, turmeric, bay leaves.

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.
  • 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.

  • 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 1,390 vegetables based foods

From least to most processed, this one ranks 1248th. 25% of the vegetables based foods 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 1,390 vegetables based foods, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 1704877950008, last edited 14 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.
  • 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.