Is Pepperidge Farm Sesame Hamburger Buns ultra-processed?

15 oz Hamburger buns 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:

Dextrose
Glucose
Gluten
E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids
E481 Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate

23 ingredients
2 additives
Nutri-Score C

Less processed hamburger buns

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

Enriched wheat flour (flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, yeast, sugar (processing marker), wheat gluten (ultra-processing marker), sesame seeds, soybean oil (processing marker), contains 2 percent and less of (nonfat milk), salt (processing marker), datem (ultra-processing marker), monoglycerides, malted barley flour, calcium propionate, sorbic acid to retard spoilage, sodium stearoyl lactylate (ultra-processing marker), dextrose (ultra-processing marker)

Additives: E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E481 Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate

As written on the pack

Enriched wheat flour (flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, yeast, sugar, wheat gluten, sesame seeds, soybean oil, contains 2 percent or less of: nonfat milk*, salt, datem, monoglycerides, malted barley flour, calcium propionate and sorbic acid to retard spoilage, sodium stearoyl lactylate, dextrose.

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.

E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids 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.
E481 Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate 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.

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

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.
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 55 hamburger buns

From least to most processed, this one ranks 26th. 96% of the hamburger buns 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 55 hamburger buns, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0014100071617, last edited 26 May 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.