Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Meat Free Meatball Mix Paxo ultra-processed?

120g Meat analogues from soy or wheat proteins Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Meat Free Meatball Mix Paxo

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:

  • 35 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score A

Less processed meat analogues from soy or wheat proteins

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

Textured Wheat Protein 37% (Wheat Gluten, Firming Agent (Calcium Sulphate)), Wheat Gluten, Rusk 17% (Wheat Flour (with added Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Raising Agent (Ammonium Carbonates), Salt), Rapeseed Oil, Gelling Agent (Methyl Cellulose), Dried Basil, Dried Oregano, Onion, Paprika, Yeast Extract Powder, Flavouring, Garlic, Citrus Fibre, Tomato, Salt, Red Pepper, Colour (Beetroot Red), Parsley, Black Pepper, Fennel, Wheat Starch, Barley Malt Extract

Additives: E162 Beetroot red , E461 Methyl cellulose , E503 Ammonium carbonates , E516 Calcium sulphate

As written on the pack

Textured Wheat Protein (37%) (Wheat Gluten, Firming Agent (Calcium Sulphate)), Wheat Gluten, Rusk (17%) (Wheat Flour (with added Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Raising Agent (Ammonium Carbonates), Salt), Rapeseed Oil, Gelling Agent (Methyl Cellulose), Dried Basil, Dried Oregano, Onion Powder, Ground Paprika, Yeast Extract Powder, Flavouring, Garlic Powder, Citrus Fibre, Tomato Powder, Salt, Dried Red Pepper, Colour (Beetroot Red), Dried Parsley, Ground Black Pepper, Ground Fennel, Wheat Starch, Barley Malt Extract.

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.

  • E162 Beetroot red Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of 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.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • Firming agent Firming agents keep fruit and vegetable tissue crisp or firm through processing and storage.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • Gelling agent Gelling agents such as pectin, gelatine or carrageenan set liquids into gels and stabilise textures.

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.
  • 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.
3 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.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Bread An ingredient mostly produced industrially and rarely used in home kitchens.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 27 meat analogues from soy or wheat proteins

From least to most processed, this one ranks 24th. 89% of the meat analogues from soy or wheat proteins 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 27 meat analogues from soy or wheat proteins, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000354922305, 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.