Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Starkist Tuna Creations Deli Style Tuna Salad ultra-processed?

3 oz Canned tunas Sold in the United States

Pack of Starkist Tuna Creations Deli Style Tuna Salad

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:

  • 23 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed canned tunas

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

light tuna, water, water chestnuts, vinegar, CONTAINS 2% and LESS OF THE FOLLOWING, cucumbers, egg yolk, onion powder, mustard flour, corn, salt, sugar, dextrose, carrageenan, xanthan gum, cellulose gel, guar gum, natural flavors, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, calcium chloride, color added (tuna), eggs

Additives: E407 Carrageenan , E412 Guar gum , E415 Xanthan gum , E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose

As written on the pack

LIGHT TUNA, WATER, WATER CHESTNUTS, VINEGAR, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF THE FOLLOWING: CELERY, CURED CUCUMBERS, EGG YOLK, ONION POWDER, MUSTARD FLOUR, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH (CORN), SALT, SUGAR, DEXTROSE, CARRAGEENAN, XANTHAN GUM, CELLULOSE GEL, GUAR GUM, NATURAL FLAVORS, SODIUM CARBOXYMETHYLCELLULOSE, CALCIUM CHLORIDE, COLOR ADDED. CONTAINS: FISH (TUNA), EGGS

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.
  • 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.
  • E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose Carboxymethyl cellulose is a thickener made by chemically modifying cellulose from wood or cotton.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • 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.

  • 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.
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.

  • Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 157 canned tunas

From least to most processed, this one ranks 157th. 22% of the canned tunas 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 157 canned tunas, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0080000502391, last edited 11 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.