Is Old El Paso Traditional Refried Beans ultra-processed?

16 oz (1 lb) 453 g Canned common beans Sold in the United States, Bolivia and Germany

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Lard

9 ingredients
No additives
Nutri-Score C

Less processed canned common beans

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

Lard (ultra-processing marker), salt (processing marker), tomato paste, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, chili pepper, lard (ultra-processing marker), sugar Ingredients derived from a bioengineered source

As written on the pack

Lard, salt, tomato paste, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, chili pepper, hydrogenated lard, sugar Ingredients derived from a bioengineered source

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.

Lard An ingredient mostly produced industrially and rarely used in home kitchens.

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.

Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 175 canned common beans

From least to most processed, this one ranks 103rd. 47% of the canned common beans 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 175 canned common beans, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0046000821214, last edited 29 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 C (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.