Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Big AZ Cheeseburger ultra-processed?

8.72 oz Frozen meals with meat Sold in the United States

Pack of Big AZ Cheeseburger

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:

  • 48 ingredients
  • 8 additives

Less processed frozen meals with meat

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

Beef patty, water, textured vegetable protein (soy protein, caramel color, zinc oxide, niacinamide, ferrous sulfate, vitamin palmitate, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, cyanocobalamin), onions, seasoning (hydrolyzed corn protein, salt, onion, spices, sodium phosphates), enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, enzyme, folic acid), sugar, soybean oil, ascorbic acid, calcium propionate, calcium sulfate, enzymes, monoglycerides, salt, wheat starch, yeast, milk, cream, cheese culture, citric acid, potassium citrate, sodium citrate, sorbic acid, soy lecithin, tetrasodium pyrophosphate

Additives: E150c Ammonia caramel , E200 Sorbic acid , E282 Calcium propionate , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E330 Citric acid , E450 Diphosphates , E450iii Tetrasodium diphosphate

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E150c Ammonia caramel.

As written on the pack

Beef patty, water, textured vegetable protein (soy protein concentrate, caramel color, zinc oxide, niacinamide, ferrous sulfate, vitamin palmitate, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, cyanocobalamin), onions, seasoning (hydrolyzed corn protein, salt, onion powder, spices, sodium phosphates), enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, enzyme, folic acid), sugar, soybean oil, ascorbic acid, calcium propionate, calcium sulfate, enzymes, monoglycerides, salt, wheat starch, yeast, milk, cream, cheese culture, citric acid, potassium citrate, sodium citrate, sorbic acid, soy lecithin, tetrasodium pyrophosphate.

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.

  • E150c Ammonia caramel Ammonia caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars with ammonia compounds.
  • 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.
  • E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
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.

  • 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.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 21 frozen meals with meat

From least to most processed, this one ranks 14th. 90% of the frozen meals with meat 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 21 frozen meals with meat, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0071421598643, last edited 14 January 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.