Is Sainsbury’s Plant Pioneers Falafels ultra-processed?

180g Falafels 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:

Gluten
E450 Diphosphates

26 ingredients
6 additives
Nutri-Score D

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 37%, Onion 15%, Water, Fortified Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Rapeseed Oil, Wheat Gluten (ultra-processing marker), Parsley, Dried Onion, Coriander Leaf, Sugar (processing marker), Coriander, Cumin, Salt (processing marker), Garlic Purée, Raising Agents (Ammonium Hydrogen Carbonate), Disodium Diphosphate (ultra-processing marker), Sodium Carbonate, Black Pepper, Wheat Starch (processing marker), including cereals containing gluten

Additives: E450 Diphosphates , E450i Disodium diphosphate , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500i Sodium carbonate , E503 Ammonium carbonates , E503ii Ammonium hydrogen carbonate

As written on the pack

Chickpeas (37%), Onion (15%), Water, Fortified Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Rapeseed Oil, Wheat Gluten, Parsley, Dried Onion, Coriander Leaf, Sugar, Coriander Powder, Cumin Powder, Salt, Garlic Purée, Raising Agents: Ammonium Hydrogen Carbonate, Disodium Diphosphate, Sodium Carbonate; Black Pepper, Wheat Starch. Allergy advice: For allergens, including cereals containing gluten, see ingredients in bold.

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.

E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.

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.
Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 45 falafels

From least to most processed, this one ranks 42nd. 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 00351560, 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 D (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.