Is it ultra-processed?
Menu

Is Rosina Meatballs Homestyle ultra-processed?

Frozen meats Sold in the United States

Pack of Rosina Meatballs Homestyle

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:

  • 44 ingredients
  • 5 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed frozen meats

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

Beef, pork, chicken, water, textured soy protein (soy protein, caramel color), egg whites, contains 2% and less of the following (romano cheese, pasteurized sheep's, cow's milk), rennet, salt, cheese cultures, enzymes, ricotta cheese (whey, whole milk, cream, vinegar, salt, carrageenan, xanthan gum, locust bean gum, guar gum), parmesan cheese (pasteurized part skim milk, salt, cheese cultures, enzymes), dehydrated onions, natural flavors, eggs, bread crumbs (wheat flour), cane syrup, soy protein, corn syrup solids, salt, soy flour, non-fat dry milk, isolated oat product, sodium phosphate

Additives: E150c Ammonia caramel , E407 Carrageenan , E410 Locust bean gum , E412 Guar gum , E415 Xanthan gum

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

As written on the pack

Beef and pork, chicken, water, textured soy protein concentrate (soy protein concentrate, caramel color), egg whites, contains 2% or less of the following: romano cheese (pasteurized sheep's and cow's milk, rennet, salt, cheese cultures, enzymes), ricotta cheese (whey, whole milk, cream, vinegar, salt, carrageenan, xanthan gum, locust bean gum, guar gum), parmesan cheese (pasteurized part skim milk, salt, cheese cultures, enzymes), dehydrated onions, natural flavors, eggs, bread crumbs (wheat flour), dried cane syrup, soy protein concentrate, corn syrup solids, salt, textured soy flour, non-fat dry milk, isolated oat product, sodium phosphate.

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.
  • E407 Carrageenan Carrageenan is a thickener and gelling agent extracted from red seaweed, used widely in dairy desserts, plant-based drinks and processed meats.
  • E410 Locust bean gum Locust bean gum (carob gum) is a thickener and stabiliser from the seeds of the carob tree.
  • E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.
  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • 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.

  • Whey Whey is the liquid left over from cheese making, usually dried into a powder and used as a cheap source of milk solids, protein and lactose.
  • Soya flour An ingredient mostly produced industrially and rarely used in home kitchens.
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.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.
  • Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 83 frozen meats

From least to most processed, this one ranks 80th. 59% of the frozen meats 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 83 frozen meats, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0077083407217, last edited 16 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 E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.