Is Kirkland Signature Cooked Meatballs Italian-Style Beef ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 41 ingredients
- 4 additives
- Nutri-Score D
Less processed ground beef preparations
- Grass Fed Ground Beef 80/20 Thousand Hills 1 ingredient · no additives NOVA group 1
-
Hickory nut gap meats, ground beef
Hickory Nut Gap Meats
1 ingredient · no additives
NOVA group
1
-
Ground Beef 93% Lean 7% Fat
Sam’s Club
1 ingredient · no additives
NOVA group
1
-
Lean Ground Beef
Publix
1 ingredient · no additives
NOVA group
1
Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
ground beef, water bread crumbs (wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), salt (processing marker), leavening (sodium bicarbonate, sodium acid pyrophosphate (ultra-processing marker), monocalcium phosphate), vegetable oil (processing marker) (canola &, or sunflower), dextrose (ultra-processing marker), yeast, spice), soy protein, dextrose (ultra-processing marker), salt (processing marker), mustard, spices, dehydrated green bel pepper, red bell pepper, parmesan cheese (processing marker) (pasteurized part-skim milk, cheese cultures, salt (processing marker), enzymes), romano cheese from cow's milk (pasteurized part-skim milk, salt (processing marker), enzymes), garlic, hydrolyzed soy protein, chili pepper, natural flavors (ultra-processing marker), parsley
Additives: E450 Diphosphates , E450i Disodium diphosphate , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate
As written on the pack
GROUND BEEF, WATER BREAD CRUMBS (ENRICHED BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR (BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), SALT, LEAVENING (SODIUM BICARBONATE, SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE) VEGETABLE OIL (CANOLA &/OR SUNFLOWER), DEXTROSE, YEAST, SPICE EXTRACTIVES), SOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, DEXTROSE, SALT, MUSTARD, SPICES, DEHYDRATED GREEN BEL PEPPER, DEHYDRATED RED BELL PEPPER, PARMESAN CHEESE (PASTEURIZED PART-SKIM MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES), ROMANO CHEESE FROM COW'S MILK (CULTURED PASTEURIZED PART-SKIM MILK, SALT, ENZYMES), DEHYDRATED GARLIC, HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN, CHILI PEPPER, NATURAL FLAVORS, DEHYDRATED PARSLEY.
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.
- E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
- 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.
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.
- Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
- Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
- Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.
Among 12 ground beef preparations
From least to most processed, this one ranks 12th. 33% of the ground beef preparations here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0096619887446, last edited 9 June 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 D (from A, best, to E).
- General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.