Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Stouffer's Stuffed Peppers ultra-processed?

15.5 OZ (439g) Prepared vegetables Sold in the United States

Pack of Stouffer's Stuffed Peppers

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:

  • 61 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed prepared vegetables

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

green bell peppers, water, tomato puree (water, tomato paste), cooked beef, long grain rice (water, rice, iron, niacin, thiamin mononitrate, folic acid), tomatoes, tomato juice, and LESS OF MODIFIED FOOD STARCH 2%, soybean oil, sugar, salt, rolled oats, dried onions, soy flour, reduced lactose whey, white distilled vinegar, autolyzed yeast extract, worcestershire sauce (distilled vinegar, molasses, corn syrup, water, salt, caramel color, garlic powder, sugar, spices, tamarind, natural flavor), soy sauce (soybeans, wheat, salt), caramel color, spices, citric acid, calcium chloride, seasoning (autolyzed yeast extract, gum arabic, beef stock, beef, flavor, salt, lactic acid, sodium phosphates), garlic powder, soy sauce (water, soybeans, wheat, salt), dextrose

Additives: E150c Ammonia caramel , E270 Lactic acid , E330 Citric acid , E414 Acacia gum

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

As written on the pack

GREEN BELL PEPPERS, WATER, TOMATO PUREE (WATER, TOMATO PASTE), COOKED BEEF, COOKED ENRICHED LONG GRAIN RICE (WATER, RICE, IRON, NIACIN, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, FOLIC ACID), TOMATOES, TOMATO JUICE,2% OR LESS OF MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, SOYBEAN OIL, SUGAR, SALT, ROLLED OATS, DRIED ONIONS, TEXTURED SOY FLOUR, REDUCED LACTOSE WHEY, WHITE DISTILLED VINEGAR, AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE (DISTILLED VINEGAR, MOLASSES, CORN SYRUP, WATER, SALT, CARAMEL COLOR, GARLIC POWDER, SUGAR, SPICES, TAMARIND, NATURAL FLAVOR), DRIED SOY SAUCE (SOYBEANS, WHEAT, SALT), CARAMEL COLOR, SPICES, CITRIC ACID, CALCIUM CHLORIDE, SEASONING (AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, GUM ARABIC, BEEF STOCK CONCENTRATE, BEEF, FLAVOR, SALT, LACTIC ACID, SODIUM PHOSPHATES), GARLIC POWDER, SOY SAUCE (WATER, SOYBEANS, WHEAT, SALT), DEXTROSE. CONTAINS: WHEAT, MILK, SOY.

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.
  • E414 Acacia gum Gum arabic (acacia gum) is the hardened sap of acacia trees, used to stabilise flavour emulsions in soft drinks and to coat sweets.
  • 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.
  • Soya flour An ingredient mostly produced industrially and rarely used in home kitchens.
5 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.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 273 prepared vegetables

From least to most processed, this one ranks 271st. 58% of the prepared vegetables 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 273 prepared vegetables, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0013800100672, last edited 24 July 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.