Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Tesco Plant Chef 12 MEAT-FREE BALLS ultra-processed?

Vegetarian balls Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Tesco Plant Chef 12 MEAT-FREE BALLS

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:

  • 33 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed vegetarian balls

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

Soya Protein 41%, Water, Mushroom, Rapeseed Oil, Tomato Paste, Shea Fat, Parsley, Rice Flour, Maize Flour, Methyl Cellulose, Plain Caramel, Beetroot Red, Coconut Oil, Pea Fibre, Salt, Yeast Extract, Black Pepper, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Rice Flour, Flavourings, Thyme, Sugar, Maize Starch, Oregano, Maltodextrin, Paprika, Modified Tapioca Starch, Dextrose, Onion, Cayenne Pepper, Chilli, Fennel

Additives: E150a Plain caramel , E162 Beetroot red , E461 Methyl cellulose

As written on the pack

Reconstituted Soya Protein (41%). Water, Mushroom, Rapeseed Oil, Tomato Paste. Shea Fat, Parsley, Rice Flour. Maize Flour. Stabiliser (Methyl Cellulose). Colours (Plain Caramel, Beetroot Red). Coconut Oil, Pea Fibre. Salt. Yeast Extract, Black Pepper. Onion Powder. Garlic Powder. Smoked Rice Flour, Flavourings. Thyme. Sugar. Maize Starch. Oregano Leaves, Maltodextrin. Paprika, Modified Tapioca Starch, Dextrose, Onion, Cayenne Pepper. Chilli Powder, Fennel.

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.

  • E150a Plain caramel Plain caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars.
  • 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.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.

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.
  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
  • 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.
5 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.
  • Vegetable fat Vegetable fats are oils that are solid at room temperature, such as palm or coconut fat.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 59 vegetarian balls

From least to most processed, this one ranks 57th. 49% of the vegetarian balls 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 59 vegetarian balls, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5059697759277, last edited 5 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.