Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Trader Joe's ABC Bars ultra-processed?

7.4 oz (210 g) Biscuits Sold in the United States

Pack of Trader Joe's ABC Bars

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:

  • 21 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed biscuits

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

Almond butter filling (almonds, powdered sugar, tapioca starch), Oats, Oat flour, Brown rice syrup, Invert sugar syrup, Canola oil, Fig paste (figs, fig), Almond butter (almonds), Sweet rice flour, Glycerin, Cocoa processed with alkali, Tapioca starch, Natural flavors, Sea salt, Baking soda

Additives: E422 Glycerol , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate

As written on the pack

Almond butter filling (almonds, powdered sugar, tapioca starch), Oats, Oat flour, Brown rice syrup, Invert sugar syrup, Canola oil, Fig paste (figs, fig concentrate), Almond butter (almonds), Sweet rice flour, Glycerin, Cocoa processed with alkali, Tapioca starch, Natural flavors, Sea salt, Baking soda

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.

  • E422 Glycerol Glycerol is a sweet-tasting liquid used to keep products moist and soft.
  • 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.

  • Invert sugar Invert sugar is ordinary sugar split into glucose and fructose with acid or enzymes.
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.

  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 1,514 biscuits

From least to most processed, this one ranks 670th. 83% of the biscuits 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 1,514 biscuits, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00593229, 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.