Is it ultra-processed?
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Is StarKist Tuna Creations Hot Buffalo ultra-processed?

2.6 oz. (74g) Canned tunas Sold in the United States

Pack of StarKist Tuna Creations Hot Buffalo

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:

  • 28 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

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, cayenne pepper sauce (aged cayenne red peppers, vinegar, water, salt, garlic), buffalo sauce (water, hot sauce (aged cayenne red peppers, vinegar, salt, garlic, maltodextrin), yeast extract, paprika, garlic, citric acid, paprika, sodium diacetate, spices, salt), vinegar, water, modified corn starch, xanthan gum, citrus fiber

Additives: E262 Sodium acetates , E262ii Sodium diacetate , E330 Citric acid , E415 Xanthan gum

As written on the pack

Light tuna, cayenne pepper sauce (aged cayenne red peppers, vinegar, water, salt, garlic powder), buffalo sauce (water, hot sauce powder [aged cayenne red peppers, vinegar, salt, garlic, maltodextrin], yeast extract, paprika, garlic powder, citric acid, extractives of paprika, sodium diacetate, spices, salt), vinegar, water, modified corn starch, xanthan gum, citrus fiber.

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.

  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.

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.

  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
  • Vegetable fiber Isolated plant fibres, such as inulin, oat fibre or bamboo fibre, are extracted industrially and added to change texture or support "source of fibre" claims.
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.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 157 canned tunas

From least to most processed, this one ranks 155th. 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 0080000516046, last edited 5 June 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.