Is it ultra-processed?
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Is El Monterey Beef & Bean Burritos ultra-processed?

32 oz Burritos Sold in the United States

Pack of El Monterey Beef & Bean Burritos

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:

  • 39 ingredients
  • 5 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed burritos

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

water, enriched wheat flour (with niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), beef, beans, vegetable oil (soybean, canola, palm, corn oil), contains 2% and less textured vegetable protein (soy flour, caramel color), isolated pea product, salt, chili pepper, dough conditioners (yeast, wheat gluten, sugar, guar gum, food starch, sodium metabisulfite), spices, flavor, savory flavor (yeast extract, soy sauce (wheat, soybeans, salt), maltodextrin, lactic acid, calcium lactate, salt)

Additives: E150c Ammonia caramel , E223 Sodium metabisulphite , E270 Lactic acid , E327 Calcium lactate , E412 Guar gum

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

As written on the pack

water, enriched wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), beef, beans, vegetable oil (soybean, canola, palm and/or corn oil), contains 2% or less textured vegetable protein (soy flour, caramel color), isolated pea product, salt, chili pepper, dough conditioners (yeast, wheat gluten, sugar, guar gum, food starch, sodium metabisulfite), spices, flavor, savory flavor (yeast extract, soy sauce (wheat, soybeans, salt), maltodextrin, lactic acid, calcium lactate, 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.

  • E150c Ammonia caramel Ammonia caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars with ammonia compounds.
  • E327 Calcium lactate Thickeners are substances which increase the viscosity of a foodstuff.
  • E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

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.

  • Gluten Wheat gluten, sold as "vital wheat gluten", is the protein washed out of wheat flour.
  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
6 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 oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Sandwiches Products in the category "Sandwiches" are at least group 3.
  • Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 20 burritos

From least to most processed, this one ranks 17th. 75% of the burritos 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 20 burritos, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0071007018688, last edited 5 July 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.