Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Johnsonville Original Recipe Breakfast Sausage ultra-processed?

340 g Frozen meats Sold in the United States

Pack of Johnsonville Original Recipe Breakfast Sausage

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:

  • 17 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed frozen meats

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, corn syrup, less than 3% of the following (pork broth with natural falvorings), salt, dextrose, monosodium glutamate, lemon juice (corn syrup solids, lemon, natural flavors), flavorings, bha, propyl gallate, citric acid, collagen casing

Additives: E310 Propyl gallate , E320 Butylated hydroxyanisole (bha) , E330 Citric acid , E621 Monosodium glutamate

As written on the pack

Pork, water, corn syrup and less than 3% of the following: pork broth with natural falvorings, salt, dextrose, monosodium glutamate, lemon juice powder (corn syrup solids, lemon juice solids, natural flavors), flavorings, bha, propyl gallate, citric acid, collagen casing.

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.

  • E621 Monosodium glutamate Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation and used to strengthen savoury taste.
  • 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.

  • Prepared meats Products in the category "Prepared meats" are at least group 3.
  • Sausages Products in the category "Sausages" are at least group 3.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 83 frozen meats

From least to most processed, this one ranks 73rd. 59% of the frozen meats 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 83 frozen meats, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0077782002768, last edited 10 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 E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.