Is Smithfield Prime fresh smoked turkey breast lunchmeat ultra-processed?

8 oz Turkey breasts 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
E407 Carrageenan

11 ingredients
4 additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed turkey breasts

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

turkey breast, broth, cultured corn sugar, dextrose (ultra-processing marker), contains 2% and less of salt, vinegar, sodium phosphates, carrageenan (ultra-processing marker), rosemary extract, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite (processing marker)

Additives: E250 Sodium nitrite , E316 Sodium erythorbate , E392 Extracts of rosemary , E407 Carrageenan

As written on the pack

turkey breast, turkey broth, cultured corn sugar, dextrose, contains 2% or less of salt, vinegar, sodium phosphates, carrageenan, rosemary extract, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite,

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.

E407 Carrageenan Carrageenan is a thickener and gelling agent extracted from red seaweed, used widely in dairy desserts, plant-based drinks and processed meats.

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.

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.

E250 Sodium nitrite Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
Prepared meats Products in the category "Prepared meats" are at least group 3.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 30 turkey breasts

From least to most processed, this one ranks 21st. 63% of the turkey breasts 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 30 turkey breasts, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0070800822522, last edited 21 September 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.