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Is Linda McCartney's Vegetarian pulled pork 1/4lb burger ultra-processed?

227 g Vegetarian hamburgers Sold in the United Kingdom and France

Pack of Linda McCartney's Vegetarian pulled pork 1/4lb burger

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:

  • 31 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed vegetarian hamburgers

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

soya, wheat protein 64% (water, soya protein, wheat gluten, salt, soya bean oil, natural flavouring), water, tomato paste, rapeseed oil, barley malt vinegar, muscovado sugar, soya protein, sugar, black treacle, stabiliser (methyl cellulose), cornflour, salt, natural flavourings, tomato, onion, spices, maltodextrin, garlic, sunflower oil, malted barley extract, spice extract, black pepper, red chilli

Additives: E461 Methyl cellulose

As written on the pack

Rehydrated textured soya and wheat protein 64% (water, soya protein, wheat gluten, salt, soya bean oil, natural flavouring), water, tomato paste, rapeseed oil, distilled barley malt vinegar, muscovado sugar, soya protein concentrate, sugar, black treacle, stabiliser (methyl cellulose), cornflour, salt, natural flavourings, tomato powder, onion powder, spices, maltodextrin, garlic powder, sunflower oil, malted barley extract, spice extract, black pepper, red chilli powder.

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.
  • 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.

  • Gluten Wheat gluten, sold as "vital wheat gluten", is the protein washed out of wheat flour.
  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
  • Soya An ingredient mostly produced industrially and rarely used in home kitchens.
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.

  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Sandwiches Products in the category "Sandwiches" are at least group 3.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 21 vegetarian hamburgers

From least to most processed, this one ranks 14th. 71% of the vegetarian hamburgers 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 21 vegetarian hamburgers, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5056053300043, last edited 13 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 D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.