Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Shortening Sticks ultra-processed?

Fats Sold in the United States

Pack of Shortening Sticks

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:

  • 6 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed fats

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

soybean oil, palm oil, palm oil, mono- and DIGLYCERIDES, tbhq, citric acid

Additives: E319 Tertiary-butylhydroquinone (tbhq) , E330 Citric acid , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

As written on the pack

SOYBEAN OIL, FULLY HYDROGENATED PALM OIL, PALM OIL, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, TBHQ AND CITRIC ACID

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.

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.

  • Palm oil An ingredient mostly produced industrially and rarely used in home kitchens.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 914 fats

From least to most processed, this one ranks 726th. 31% of the fats 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 914 fats, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0196005251889, last edited 15 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.
  • NOVA measures processing, not nutrition. For nutrition, Open Food Facts gives this product a Nutri-Score of D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.