Is Trader Joe's BBQ Teriyaki Chicken ultra-processed?

21 oz Poultry meals 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:

Modified starch

21 ingredients
No additives
Nutri-Score B

Less processed poultry meals

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

Boneless Skinless Chicken Leg Meat, Water, Sugar (processing marker), Soy Sauce (processing marker) (Water, Soybean, Wheat, Salt (processing marker)), Dark Soy Sauce (processing marker) (Water, Soybean, Salt (processing marker), Sugar (processing marker), Wheat Flour, Mushroom Extract), Modified Cornstarch (ultra-processing marker), Salt (processing marker), Lime Juice Concentrate, Ginger, Garlic, Green Onion

As written on the pack

Boneless Skinless Chicken Leg Meat, Water, Sugar, Soy Sauce (Water, Soybean, Wheat, Salt), Dark Soy Sauce (Water, Soybean, Salt, Sugar, Wheat Flour, Mushroom Extract), Modified Cornstarch, Salt, Lime Juice Concentrate, Ginger, Garlic, Green Onion

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.

Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.

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.
Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 233 poultry meals

From least to most processed, this one ranks 58th. 78% of the poultry meals 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 233 poultry meals, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00749619, last edited 3 September 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 B (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.