Is M&S Food 8 Fresh Herb Aromatic Falafels ultra-processed?

160 g Falafels Sold in the United Kingdom and the United States

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Dextrose
Glucose

21 ingredients
No 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

Chickpeas 27% (Water Chickpeas), Onions, Broad Beans 19%, Rapeseed Oil, Chickpea Flour, Rice Flour, Coriander, Parsley, Garlic Purée, Spices (Cumin, Coriander, Black Pepper, Ginger, Cayenne Pepper), Salt (processing marker), Lemon Zest, Green Chilli, Cornflour, Dextrose (ultra-processing marker)

As written on the pack

Chickpeas (27%) (Water Chickpeas), Onions, Broad Beans (19%), Rapeseed Oil, Chickpea Flour, Rice Flour, Coriander, Parsley, Garlic Purée, Ground Spices (Cumin, Coriander, Black Pepper, Ginger, Cayenne Pepper), Salt, Lemon Zest, Green Chilli Purée, Cornflour, Dextrose.

What makes it ultra-processed

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.

1 ingredient 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 45 falafels

From least to most processed, this one ranks 39th. 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 00352574, last edited 13 May 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.