Is it ultra-processed?
Menu

Is Plant Menu BBQ No Pork Ribs ultra-processed?

240g Meat analogues Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Plant Menu BBQ No Pork Ribs

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:

  • 53 ingredients
  • 7 additives
  • Nutri-Score A

Less processed meat analogues

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

Wheat Gluten, BBQ Sauce (Water, White Sugar, Tomato Paste, Thickeners (Acetic Acid, Acetylated Distarch Adipate, Carrageenan), Distilled Vinegar, Salt, Colour (Plain Caramel), Smoke Flavouring, Spices), Mushrooms, Soya Bean Meal, Soya Flour, Tomato Paste, Soya Protein Isolate, Brown Cane Sugar, Ginger, Mirin Rice Wine (Glutinous Rice, Water, Alcohol, Rice Koji), Thickener (Methyl Cellulose), Garlic, Dark Soy Sauce (Water, Soya Bean Kernels, Wheat, Salt, Alcohol), Yeast Extract, Onion, Rice Vinegar, Fully Refined Soybean Oil, Paprika, Salt, Sugar, White Sesame Seeds, Chilli, Black Pepper, Smoke Flavouring, Chia Seeds (Salvia hispanica), Raising Agent (Sodium Carbonates), Emulsifier (Polysorbate 80)

Additives: E1422 Acetylated distarch adipate , E150a Plain caramel , E260 Acetic acid , E407 Carrageenan , E433 Polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate , E461 Methyl cellulose , E500 Sodium carbonates

As written on the pack

Wheat Gluten, BBQ Sauce (Water, White Sugar, Tomato Paste, Thickeners (Acetic Acid, Acetylated Distarch Adipate, Carrageenan), Distilled Vinegar, Salt, Colour (Plain Caramel), Smoke Flavouring, Spices), Mushrooms, Soya Bean Meal, Soya Flour, Tomato Paste, Soya Protein Isolate, Brown Cane Sugar, Ginger Purée, Mirin Rice Wine (Glutinous Rice, Water, Alcohol, Rice Koji), Thickener (Methyl Cellulose), Garlic Powder, Dark Soy Sauce (Water, Soya Bean Kernels, Wheat, Salt, Alcohol), Yeast Extract, Onion Powder, Rice Vinegar, Fully Refined Soybean Oil, Paprika, Salt, Sugar, White Sesame Seeds, Chilli Flakes, Black Pepper, Smoke Flavouring, Chia Seeds (Salvia hispanica), Raising Agent (Sodium Carbonates), Emulsifier (Polysorbate 80).

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.

  • E1422 Acetylated distarch adipate Acetylated distarch adipate is a chemically modified starch that holds up to heating, freezing and acidity, used to thicken sauces and fillings.
  • E150a Plain caramel Plain caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars.
  • E407 Carrageenan Carrageenan is a thickener and gelling agent extracted from red seaweed, used widely in dairy desserts, plant-based drinks and processed meats.
  • E433 Polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate Polysorbate 80 is a synthetic emulsifier used in ice cream and some sauces to keep fats evenly dispersed.
  • 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.
Show 3 more
  • Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • Thickener Thickeners, often gums or modified starches, make liquids more viscous so that a product feels richer than its ingredients alone would make it.

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.
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.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 512 meat analogues

From least to most processed, this one ranks 494th. 80% of the meat analogues 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 512 meat analogues, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4061464696877, last edited 6 June 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.