Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Lidl Vegan Falafel ultra-processed?

350g Falafels Sold in the United Kingdom, Belgium and France

Pack of Lidl Vegan Falafel

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:

  • 28 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score A

Less processed falafels

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

Soaked Chickpeas 68% (Chickpeas 62%, Water), Courgette, Vegetable Oils in Varying Proportions (Sunflower, Rapeseed), Wheat Flour, Spinach, Spices (Cumin, Coriander Seeds, White Pepper), Onion, Garlic Purée, Parsley, Salt, Spirit Vinegar, Wheat Fibre, Acid (Citric Acid), Water, Preservative (Sorbic Acid), Natural Flavourings, Ferros Gluconate, Vitamin B12, including Cereals Nutrition

Additives: E200 Sorbic acid , E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

68% Soaked Chickpeas (62% Chickpeas, Water), Courgette, Vegetable Oils in Varying Proportions (Sunflower, Rapeseed), Wheat Flour, Spinach, Spices (Cumin, Coriander Seeds, White Pepper), Onion, Garlic Purée, Parsley, Salt, Spirit Vinegar, Wheat Fibre, Acid: Citric Acid; Water, Preservative: Sorbic Acid; Natural Flavourings, Ferros Gluconate, Vitamin B12. For allergens, including Cereals Nutrition

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.

  • 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.

  • 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.
4 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.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • 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 45 falafels

From least to most processed, this one ranks 40th. 42% of the falafels 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 45 falafels, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4056489340355, last edited 25 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 A (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.