Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Great Value Black Forest Ham ultra-processed?

16 oz Hams Sold in the United States

Pack of Great Value Black Forest Ham

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:

  • 12 ingredients
  • 6 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed hams

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

Ham, water, sea salt, less than 2% of (dextrose), potassium lactate, sodium phosphate, sodium diacetate, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite, natural flavoring, caramel color

Additives: E150c Ammonia caramel , E250 Sodium nitrite , E262 Sodium acetates , E262ii Sodium diacetate , E316 Sodium erythorbate , E326 Potassium lactate

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

As written on the pack

Ham, water, sea salt, less than 2% of: dextrose, potassium lactate, sodium phosphate, sodium diacetate, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite, natural flavoring, caramel color,

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.
  • E326 Potassium lactate Antioxidants are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by oxidation, such as fat rancidity and colour changes.
  • 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.

  • Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
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.

  • E250 Sodium nitrite Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
  • Prepared meats Products in the category "Prepared meats" are at least group 3.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 223 hams

From least to most processed, this one ranks 199th. 65% of the hams 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 223 hams, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0078742110394, last edited 16 August 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.