Is it ultra-processed?
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Is The Kroger Co. Sourdough Burger Buns ultra-processed?

21 oz Special breads Sold in the United States

Pack of The Kroger Co. Sourdough Burger Buns

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:

  • 25 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed special breads

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

flour (wheat flour, malted barley, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, yeast, sugar, rye sour (rye flour, water), soybean oil, salt, wheat gluten, sodium stearoyl lactylate, ammonium sulfate, calcium sulfate, ascorbic acid, calcium propionate (preservative), vinegar, sesame

Additives: E282 Calcium propionate , E481 Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate , E517 Ammonium sulphate

As written on the pack

enriched flour (wheat flour, malted barley, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, yeast, sugar, rye sour (rye flour, water), soybean oil, salt, wheat gluten, sodium stearoyl lactylate, ammonium sulfate, calcium sulfate, ascorbic acid, calcium propionate (preservative), vinegar, sesame flour

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.

  • E481 Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate 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.

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.

  • Gluten Wheat gluten, sold as "vital wheat gluten", is the protein washed out of wheat flour.
4 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.

  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 363 special breads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 207th. 76% of the special breads 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 363 special breads, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0011110114921, last edited 31 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 D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.