Is Hormel Chili No Beans ultra-processed?

236g Stews Sold in the United States and Germany

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Flavouring
Modified starch
Soya flour

19 ingredients
No additives
Nutri-Score C

Less processed stews

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, beef, pork, soy flour (ultra-processing marker), oatmeal, corn flour, chili (chili peppers, flavorings (ultra-processing marker)), CONTAINS 2% and LESS OF SUGAR, salt (processing marker), modified cornstarch (ultra-processing marker), hydrolyzed soy, corn, and WHEAT PROTEIN, tomato paste, flavoring (ultra-processing marker), yeast extract, spices

As written on the pack

WATER, BEEF AND PORK, TEXTURED SOY FLOUR, OATMEAL, CORN FLOUR, CHILI POWDER (CHILI PEPPERS, FLAVORINGS), CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF SUGAR, SALT, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, HYDROLYZED SOY, CORN, AND WHEAT PROTEIN, TOMATO PASTE, FLAVORING, YEAST EXTRACT, SPICES.

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.

Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a 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.

Soya flour An ingredient mostly produced industrially and rarely used in home kitchens.

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.

Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 33 stews

From least to most processed, this one ranks 20th. 73% of the stews 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 33 stews, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0037600241939, last edited 1 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.