Is Kirkland Extra Lean Uncured Ham ultra-processed?

24 oz Pork Sold in the United States

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Dextrose
Glucose

10 ingredients
No additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed pork

No Sugar Uncured Turkey Bacon Applegate 6 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 1
Old Fashioned Hickory Smoked Sliced Bacon John F Martin & Sons 1 ingredient · no additives NOVA group 1
Pork rind crumbs, unseasoned Pork King Good 3 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 2
Riced Cauliflower Stir Fry Trader Joe's 5 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3

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, Dextrose (ultra-processing marker), Salt (processing marker), Vinegar, Sodium Phosphates, Cultured Celery Juice, Sea Salt (processing marker), Cherry Powde, preserve Quality

As written on the pack

Pork, Water, Dextrose, Salt, Vinegar, Sodium Phosphates, Cultured Celery Juice, Sea Salt, Cherry Powde, preserve Quality

What makes it ultra-processed

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.

2 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.
Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 201 pork

From least to most processed, this one ranks 136th. 49% of the pork 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 201 pork, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0096619005260, last edited 30 December 2024), 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 D (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.