Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco Green Pea Falafel ultra-processed?

Refrigerated falafel Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Tesco Green Pea Falafel

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:

  • 19 ingredients
  • No additives
  • Nutri-Score A

Less processed refrigerated falafel

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

Peas 43%, Onion, Rapeseed Oil, Chickpeas 15%, Gram Flour, Rice Flour, Coriander, Parsley, Garlic Purée, Coriander, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Cumin, Salt, Maize Starch, Dextrose, Black Pepper, V STORAGE Keep refrigerated, Suitable for freezing, Ideally freeze as soon as possible after purchase but always by 'use by' date shown

As written on the pack

Peas (43%), Onion, Rapeseed Oil, Chickpeas (15%), Gram Flour, Rice Flour, Coriander, Parsley, Garlic Purée, Coriander Powder, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Cumin Powder, Salt, Maize Starch, Dextrose, Black Pepper. V Suitable for vegetarians STORAGE Keep refrigerated. Suitable for freezing. Ideally freeze as soon as possible after purchase but always by 'use by' date shown.

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.
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.

  • 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 17 refrigerated falafel

From least to most processed, this one ranks 15th. 35% of the refrigerated falafel 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 17 refrigerated falafel, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5063445794076, last edited 17 September 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.