Is Taco Bell Hot Sauce ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- Flavouring
- Maltodextrin
- E415 Xanthan gum
- E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids
- 18 ingredients
- 3 additives
- Nutri-Score C
Less processed hot sauces
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16000085 Tabasco Pepper Sauce
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Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
water, tomato puree (water, tomato paste), vinegar, jalapeno peppers, contains less than 2% of salt, chili pepper, dried onions, spices, xanthan gum (ultra-processing marker), sodium benzoate (preservative (processing marker)), potassium chloride, maltodextrin (ultra-processing marker), yeast extract, datem (ultra-processing marker), natural flavor (ultra-processing marker)
Additives: E211 Sodium benzoate , E415 Xanthan gum , E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids
As written on the pack
water, tomato puree (water, tomato paste), vinegar, jalapeno peppers, contains less than 2% of salt, chili pepper, dried onions, spices, xanthan gum, sodium benzoate (preservative), potassium chloride, maltodextrin, yeast extract, datem, natural flavor.
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.
- E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
- 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.
- Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
1 ingredient that would only make it processed
Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.
- Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
Among 184 hot sauces
From least to most processed, this one ranks 169th. 70% of the hot sauces here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0021000046935, last edited 20 April 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.