Is Ortega Mild Taco Sauce ultra-processed?

16 OZ (1 LB) 453g Hot sauces 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:

Modified starch
E415 Xanthan gum

16 ingredients
3 additives

Less processed hot sauces

Mexican hot sauce Salsa Tamazula S.A. De C.V. 7 ingredients · 1 additive NOVA group 3
Salsa Picante Valentina 6 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce Frank's RedHot 5 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
16000085 Tabasco Pepper Sauce Mc. Ilhenny Co. 3 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

tomato puree (water, tomato paste), water, corn syrup, distilled vinegar, salt (processing marker), modified corn starch (ultra-processing marker), spices, paprika, citric acid, green chili, sodium benzoate (to preserve freshness), xanthan gum (ultra-processing marker), onion

Additives: E211 Sodium benzoate , E330 Citric acid , E415 Xanthan gum

As written on the pack

tomato puree (water, tomato paste), water, corn syrup, distilled vinegar, salt, modified corn starch, spices, paprika, citric acid, green chili powder, sodium benzoate (to preserve freshness), xanthan gum, onion powder,

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.

E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.

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.

Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 185 hot sauces

From least to most processed, this one ranks 123rd. 70% of the hot sauces 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 185 hot sauces, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0039000018937, last edited 12 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.
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.