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Is Chicken of the Sea WILD-CAUGHT SARDINES in Louisiana Hot Sauce ultra-processed?

3.75 oz Sardines in oil Sold in the United States

Pack of Chicken of the Sea WILD-CAUGHT SARDINES in Louisiana Hot Sauce

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:

  • 14 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed sardines in oil

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

sardines, water, vinegar, maltodextrin, modified starch, soybean oil, paprika oleoresin, monosodium glutamate, chili powder xanthan gum, white pepper, vegetable broth, capsicum oleoresin, lime oil, salt

Additives: E14XX Modified Starch , E160c Paprika extract , E415 Xanthan gum , E621 Monosodium glutamate

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E415 Xanthan gum.

As written on the pack

SARDINES, WATER, VINEGAR, MALTODEXTRIN, MODIFIED STARCH, SOYBEAN OIL, PAPRIKA OLEORESIN, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, CHILI POWDER XANTHAN GUM, WHITE PEPPER POWDER, VEGETABLE BROTH CONCENTRATE, CAPSICUM OLEORESIN, LIME OIL, SALT.

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.

  • E14xx Modified Starch Modified starches (E1400 to E1452) are starches treated physically, with enzymes or chemically so that they thicken and hold up to heating, freezing or acidity better than ordinary starch.
  • E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • E621 Monosodium glutamate Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation and used to strengthen savoury 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.

  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
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.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 57 sardines in oil

From least to most processed, this one ranks 57th. 16% of the sardines in oil 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 57 sardines in oil, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0048000007094, last edited 2 April 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.