Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Lightlife Smart Dogs Plant-Based Hot Dogs ultra-processed?

12 oz (340g) Vegetarian sausages Sold in the United States

Pack of Lightlife Smart Dogs Plant-Based Hot Dogs

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:

  • 21 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed vegetarian sausages

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, soy protein isolate, soybean oil, contains less than 2% of (tapioca starch), methylcellulose (fiber), brown sugar, salt, natural flavors, natural smoke flavor, xanthan gum, yeast extract, sugar, guar gum, red rice (color), oleoresin paprika (color), canola oil, wheat gluten

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E412 Guar gum , E415 Xanthan gum , E461 Methyl cellulose

As written on the pack

WATER, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, SOYBEAN OIL, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF: TAPIOCA STARCH, METHYLCELLULOSE (FROM PLANT FIBER), BROWN SUGAR, SALT, NATURAL FLAVORS, NATURAL SMOKE FLAVOR, XANTHAN GUM, YEAST EXTRACT, SMOKED SUGAR, GUAR GUM, RED RICE FLOUR (COLOR), OLEORESIN PAPRIKA (COLOR), CANOLA OIL, WHEAT GLUTEN. CONTAINS: 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.

  • E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
  • E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.
  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • E461 Methyl cellulose Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • 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.

  • Gluten Wheat gluten, sold as "vital wheat gluten", is the protein washed out of wheat flour.
6 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.
  • 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 84 vegetarian sausages

From least to most processed, this one ranks 54th. 96% of the vegetarian sausages 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 84 vegetarian sausages, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0043454100803, last edited 24 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 D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.