Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Healthy Choice Meatball Marinara ultra-processed?

283 g Pastas Sold in the United States

Pack of Healthy Choice Meatball Marinara

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:

  • 56 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed pastas

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

Parmesan marinara sauce (water, tomatoes in juice (tomatoes, tomato juice, calcium chloride, citric acid), tomato paste, brown sugar, onions, contains 2% and less of (garlic puree), parmesan cheese (part skim milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes), corn starch, potassium chloride, sea salt, spices, xanthan gum), cooked pasta (water, pasta (wheat flour (ultragrainâ®), durum wheat semolina, egg white), sunflower oil), cooked meatballs with glaze (meatball (pork, beef, water, bread crumb (wheat flour, sugar, salt, yeast), onions, parmesan cheese (part skim milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes), tomato paste, isolated soy protein, potassium chloride, sea salt, flavoring), glaze (water, tomato paste, sugar)), spinach

Additives: E330 Citric acid , E415 Xanthan gum

As written on the pack

Parmesan marinara sauce (water, tomatoes in juice [tomatoes, tomato juice, calcium chloride, citric acid], tomato paste, brown sugar, onions, contains 2% or less of: garlic puree, parmesan cheese [part skim milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes], corn starch, potassium chloride, sea salt, spices, xanthan gum). cooked pasta (water, pasta [whole grain wheat flour {ultragrainâ®}, durum wheat semolina, egg white], sunflower oil). cooked meatballs with glaze (meatball [pork, beef, water, bread crumb {unbleached wheat flour, sugar, salt, yeast}, onions, parmesan cheese {part skim milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes}, tomato paste, isolated soy protein, potassium chloride, sea salt, flavoring], glaze [water, tomato paste, sugar]). spinach. contains: egg, milk, soy, wheat.

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.

  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
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.

  • 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.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 999 pastas

From least to most processed, this one ranks 680th. 51% of the pastas 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 999 pastas, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0072655401037, last edited 30 May 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.