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Is Trader Joe's Black Bean & Monterey Jack Cheese Burrito in a Flour Tortilla ultra-processed?

269 g Burritos Sold in the United States

Pack of Trader Joe's Black Bean & Monterey Jack Cheese Burrito in a Flour Tortilla

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:

  • 43 ingredients
  • 10 additives
  • Nutri-Score A

Less processed burritos

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

black beans (water, black beans, onions, tomato puree (tomatoes, salt, calcium chloride, citric acid (acidifier)), apple cider vinegar, cumin, sea salt, garlic, guajillo chile powder dried oregano, jalapeno, bay leaves), flour tortilla (wheat flour, water, canola oil, contains 2% orless of oat fiber, wheat gluten, sugar, wheat flour, to preservei, salt, monoglycerides malic acid, baking soda, cellulose gum, guar gum, sodium acid pyrophosphate, niacin, reduced iron thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), cheese, monterey jack cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, microbial enzymej, powdered cellulose)

Additives: E296 Malic acid , E330 Citric acid , E412 Guar gum , E450 Diphosphates , E450i Disodium diphosphate , E460 Cellulose , E460ii Powdered cellulose , E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate

As written on the pack

BLACK BEANS (WATER, BLACK BEANS, ONIONS, TOMATO PUREE [TOMATOES, SALT, CALCIUM CHLORIDE, CITRIC ACID {ACIDIFIER}], APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, CUMIN, SEA SALT, GARLIC, GUAJILLO CHILE POWDER DRIED OREGANO, JALAPENO POWDER, BAY LEAVES), FLOUR TORTILLA (WHEAT FLOUR, WATER, CANOLA OIL, CONTAINS 2% ORLESS OF OAT FIBER, WHEAT GLUTEN, SUGAR, CULTURED WHEAT FLOUR [TO PRESERVEI, SALT, MONOGLYCERIDES MALIC ACID, BAKING SODA, CELLULOSE GUM, GUAR GUM, SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), SHREDDED CHEESE (MONTEREY JACK CHEESE (PASTEURIZED MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, MICROBIAL ENZYMEJ, POWDERED CELLULOSE). USER: CONTAINS MILK, WHEAT.

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.

  • E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.
  • E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
  • E460 Cellulose A food additive used to dissolve, dilute, disperse or otherwise physically modify a food additive or nutrient without altering its function -and without exerting any technological effect itself- in order to facilitate its handling, application or use of the food additive or nutrient.
  • E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose Carboxymethyl cellulose is a thickener made by chemically modifying cellulose from wood or cotton.

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.
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.

  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Sandwiches Products in the category "Sandwiches" are at least group 3.
  • Bread An ingredient mostly produced industrially and rarely used in home kitchens.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 20 burritos

From least to most processed, this one ranks 15th. 75% of the burritos 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 20 burritos, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00387675, last edited 2 March 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 A (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.