Is it ultra-processed?
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Is McCaghey Turkey Burgers ultra-processed?

400 g Turkeys Sold in Ireland

Pack of McCaghey Turkey Burgers

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:

  • 28 ingredients
  • 7 additives
  • Nutri-Score A

Less processed turkeys

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

Turkey Meat 75%, Water, Rusk (Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Salt, Ammonium Bicarbonate), Salt, Sugar, Dextrose, Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Sodium Triphosphates, Flavouring, Sodium Sulphite, Honey, Spice Extracts, Antioxidant, Ascorbic Acid, Silicon Dioxide

Additives: E221 Sodium sulphite , E300 Ascorbic acid , E451 Triphosphates , E451i Pentasodium triphosphate , E503 Ammonium carbonates , E503ii Ammonium hydrogen carbonate , E551 Silicon dioxide

As written on the pack

Turkey Meat (75%), Water, Rusk (Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Salt, Raising Agent (Ammonium Bicarbonate)), Salt, Sugar, Dextrose, Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Stabiliser: Sodium Triphosphates, Flavouring, Preservative: Sodium Sulphite, Honey Powder, Spice Extracts, Antioxidant; Ascorbic Acid, Anti-Caking Agent (Silicon Dioxide)

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.

  • E451 Triphosphates 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.
  • E551 Silicon dioxide A food additive used to dissolve, dilute, disperse or otherwise physically modify a food additive or nutrient without altering its function -and without exerting any technological effect itself- in order to facilitate its handling, application or use of the food additive or nutrient.
  • 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.
4 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.

  • Honey Honey, used as a sweetener.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Bread An ingredient mostly produced industrially and rarely used in home kitchens.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 66 turkeys

From least to most processed, this one ranks 64th. 61% of the turkeys 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 66 turkeys, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5391518933696, last edited 25 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 A (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.