Is Del Real Carnitas ultra-processed?

40 oz Pork and its products 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:

Maltodextrin

11 ingredients
5 additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed pork and its products

No Sugar Uncured Turkey Bacon Applegate 6 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 1
Old Fashioned Hickory Smoked Sliced Bacon John F Martin & Sons 1 ingredient · no additives NOVA group 1
Pork rind crumbs, unseasoned Pork King Good 3 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 2
Riced Cauliflower Stir Fry Trader Joe's 5 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3

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

Pork, water, lard, seasoning, salt (processing marker), maltodextrin (ultra-processing marker), sodium acetate, sodium carbonate, sodium citrate, garlic, salt (processing marker)

Additives: E262 Sodium acetates , E262i Sodium acetate , E331 Sodium citrates , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500i Sodium carbonate

As written on the pack

Pork, water, lard, seasoning, salt, maltodextrin, sodium acetate, sodium carbonate, sodium citrate, garlic powder , salt

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.

Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.

1 ingredient 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 291 pork and its products

From least to most processed, this one ranks 177th. 56% of the pork and its products 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 291 pork and its products, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0829793016919, last edited 10 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.
NOVA measures processing, not nutrition. For nutrition, Open Food Facts gives this product a Nutri-Score of D (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.