Is Ball Park Burger Buns ultra-processed?

50 g Hamburger buns Sold in the United States

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Colour
Glucose
Gluten
High fructose corn syrup
Fructose
E322 Lecithins
and 2 more

31 ingredients
8 additives

Less processed hamburger buns

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

enriched wheat flour (flour, malted barley flour, reduced iron, niacin, thiamin mononitrate (vitamin b1), riboflavin, folic acid), water, high fructose corn syrup (ultra-processing marker), yeast, soybean oil (processing marker), wheat gluten (ultra-processing marker), salt (processing marker), calcium sulfate, grain vinegar, calcium propionate (preservative (processing marker)), datem (ultra-processing marker), monoglycerides, cellulose gum (ultra-processing marker), corn flour, spice, coloring (ultra-processing marker), citric acid, potassium iodate, soy lecithin (ultra-processing marker), monocalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, cornstarch (processing marker)

Additives: E282 Calcium propionate , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E330 Citric acid , E341 Calcium phosphates , E341i Monocalcium phosphate , E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose , E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

As written on the pack

ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR [FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, REDUCED IRON, NIACIN, THIAMIN MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), FOLIC ACID], WATER, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, YEAST, SOYBEAN OIL, WHEAT GLUTEN, SALT, CALCIUM SULFATE, GRAIN VINEGAR, CALCIUM PROPIONATE (PRESERVATIVE), DATEM, MONOGLYCERIDES, CELLULOSE GUM, CORN FLOUR, SPICE & COLORING, CITRIC ACID, POTASSIUM IODATE, SOY LECITHIN, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE, CALCIUM CARBONATE, CORNSTARCH.

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.

E322 Lecithins Lecithins are fatty substances extracted mostly from soybeans, sunflower seeds or eggs, used as emulsifiers to keep fat and water mixed, for example in chocolate.
E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose Carboxymethyl cellulose is a thickener made by chemically modifying cellulose from wood or cotton.
E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids 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.

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.

Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
Gluten Wheat gluten, sold as "vital wheat gluten", is the protein washed out of wheat flour.
High fructose corn syrup High-fructose corn syrup is made from corn starch: enzymes break it down to glucose and convert part of that into fructose, giving a syrup about as sweet as table sugar.
Fructose Fructose is the sugar found naturally in fruit and honey, but as an ingredient it is refined industrially, mostly from corn starch.

4 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.

Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 55 hamburger buns

From least to most processed, this one ranks 50th. 96% of the hamburger buns 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 55 hamburger buns, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0050400739420, 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.
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.