Is Ortega Taco Seasoning Mix Original ultra-processed?

6 g 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:

Flavouring
Maltodextrin
Modified starch
E150c Ammonia caramel

12 ingredients
2 additives

Ingredients

Ultra-processing Processing signs are highlighted

yellow corn flour, salt (processing marker), maltodextrin (ultra-processing marker), paprika, spices, modified cornstarch (ultra-processing marker), sugar (processing marker), garlic powder, citric acid, yeast extract, natural flavors (ultra-processing marker), caramel color

Additives: E150c Ammonia caramel , E330 Citric acid

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E150c Ammonia caramel.

As written on the pack

YELLOW CORN FLOUR, SALT, MALTODEXTRIN, PAPRIKA, SPICES, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, SUGAR, GARLIC POWDER, CITRIC ACID, YEAST EXTRACT, NATURAL FLAVORS, CARAMEL COLOR.

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.

E150c Ammonia caramel Ammonia caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars with ammonia compounds.
Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
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.

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.

Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.

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.
Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0041501030103, last edited 25 August 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.