Is Trader-Joe-S Beef-less Ground Beef ultra-processed?

12 oz Meat analogues Sold in the United States

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Flavouring
E150c Ammonia caramel
E412 Guar gum

23 ingredients
2 additives
Nutri-Score A

Less processed meat analogues

organic tempeh Lightlife 5 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 1
Textured vegetable protein Bob’s Red Mill 1 ingredient · no additives NOVA group 1
Mushroom Risotto Veggie Burgers Dr. Praeger's Sensible Foods 18 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 1
Textured Pea Protein Acre Made 1 ingredient · no additives NOVA group 1

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

water, textured soy protéin, onions, natural flavors (ultra-processing marker) (includes yeast extract), éxpeller pressed canola oil, salt (processing marker), guar gum (ultra-processing marker), evaporated cane syrup, barley malt extract, caramel color, spice, vitamins, minerals (thiamine hydrochloride, riboflavin, niacinamide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, cyanocobalamin, calcium pantothenate, ferrous fumarate, zinć oxide, rice flour)

Additives: E150c Ammonia caramel , E412 Guar gum

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

As written on the pack

WATER, TEXTURED SOY PROTÉIN, ONIONS, NATURAL FLAVORS (INCLUDES YEAST EXTRACT), ÉXPELLER PRESSED CANOLA OIL, SALT, GUAR GUM, EVAPORATED CANE SYRUP, BARLEY MALT EXTRACT, CARAMEL COLOR, SPICE, VITAMINS AND MINERALS (THIAMINE HYDROCHLORIDE, RIBOFLAVIN, NIACINAMIDE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, CYANOCOBALAMIN, CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, FERROUS FUMARATE, ZINĆ OXIDE, RICE FLOUR). CONTAINS 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.
E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.
Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

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.

Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 511 meat analogues

From least to most processed, this one ranks 250th. 80% of the meat analogues 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 511 meat analogues, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00991292, last edited 7 February 2025), 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 A (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.