Is M&S fragrant 8 Feta filled falafels ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 22 ingredients
- 4 additives
- Nutri-Score A
Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
Cooked Chickpeas 44% (Chickpeas Water), Onions 16%, Rapeseed Oil, Feta Cheese (processing marker) (with Wheatflour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Full Fat Soft Cheese (processing marker), Wheat Gluten (ultra-processing marker), Lemon Juice, Spices (Cumin, Coriander Black Pepper, Cardamom), Coriander Leaf Parsley Garlic Purée Salt Cornflour, Cumin Seeds Mint Potato Starch Raising Agent (Sodium Bicarbonate), e503 Oregano Cracked Black Pepper Stabiliser (e461 (ultra-processing marker))
Additives: E461 Methyl cellulose , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate , E503 Ammonium carbonates
As written on the pack
Cooked Chickpeas (44%) (Chickpeas Water). Onions (16%) Rapeseed Oil - Feta Cheese (Milk) (13%). Wheatflour contains Gluten (with Wheatflour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin) Full Fat Soft Cheese (Milk) (7%). Wheat Gluten. Lemon Juice. Ground Spices (Cumin · Coriander Black Pepper. Cardamom) Coriander Leaf Parsley Garlic Purée Salt Cornflour. Cumin Seeds Mint Potato Starch Raising Agent: Sodium Bicarbonate, E503 Oregano Cracked Black Pepper Stabiliser: E461. • •
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.
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.
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.
- Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 29343850, 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.