Is M&S Food Herby Falafel & Tabbouleh ultra-processed?

315g Prepared salads Sold in the United Kingdom

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Dextrose
Glucose

72 ingredients
No additives
Nutri-Score A

Less processed prepared salads

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

Houmous 22% (Chickpeas (Water Chickpeas), Water, Tahini (Sesame Seed Paste), Rapeseed Oil, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Extra Virgin Olive Oil (processing marker), Salt (processing marker), Garlic), Falafels 20% (Chickpeas, Onions, Broad Beans, 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)), Bulgur Wheat 12% (Bulgur Wheat, Water), Tomatoes, Vinegar Infused Vegetables 9% (Cabbage, Beetroot, Red Onions, Cider Vinegar, Sugar (processing marker), Sumac, Coriander Seeds, Cabbage, Butternut Squash, Red Onions, Paprika, Sumac, Black Pepper, Vegetable Oil (processing marker) (Sunflower Vegetable Oil, Rapeseed Vegetable Oil), Salt (processing marker)), Lettuce, Lemon Juice, Garlic Purée, Mint, Spices (Cumin, Peppers, Parsley, Spinach, Pumpkin Seeds, Tomato Paste, Red Pepper Purée Red, Chillies, Salt (processing marker), Red Wine Vinegar, Potato Starch (processing marker), Coriander), Water

As written on the pack

Reduced Fat Houmous (22%) (Chickpeas (Water Chickpeas), Water, Tahini (Sesame Seed Paste), Rapeseed Oil, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt, Garlic), Falafels (20%) (Chickpeas, Onions, Broad Beans, 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) Cooked Bulgur Wheat (12%) (Bulgur Wheat (contains Gluten), Water) Tomatoes, Vinegar Infused Vegetables (9%) (Cabbage, Beetroot, Red Onions, Cider Vinegar, Sugar, Sumac, Coriander Seeds, Cabbage, Butternut Squash, Red Onions, Paprika, Sumac, Black Pepper, Vegetable Oil (Sunflower/Rapeseed), Salt), Lettuce, Lemon Juice, Garlic Purée, Mint, Ground Spices (Cumin, Smoked Peppers, Parsley, Spinach, Pumpkin Seeds, Tomato Paste, Red Pepper Purée Red, Chillies, Salt, Red Wine Vinegar, Potato Starch, Coriander), Water.

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.

5 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.
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.
Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 224 prepared salads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 122nd. 60% of the prepared salads 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 224 prepared salads, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 29227099, last edited 27 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.