Is Trader Joe's Breaded Chicken Tenderloin Breasts ultra-processed?

Cooked poultries 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
Whey

25 ingredients
4 additives

Less processed cooked poultries

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

chicken breast tenderloins, wheat flour, water, cracker meal (wheat flour, soybean oil (processing marker)), contains 2% and less of salt, cornstarch (processing marker), sea salt (processing marker), spices (black pepper, celery seed), natural flavors (ultra-processing marker), whey (ultra-processing marker), leavening (cream of tartar, sodium bicarbonate), torula yeast, paprika (color (and spice)), spice (including black pepper), breading set in sunflower oil, safflower oil (processing marker)

Additives: E336 Potassium tartrates , E336i Monopotassium tartrate , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate

As written on the pack

chicken breast tenderloins, wheat flour, water, cracker meal (wheat flour, soybean oil), contains 2% or less of salt, cornstarch, sea salt, spices (black pepper, celery seed), natural flavors, dried whey (milk), leavening (cream of tartar, sodium bicarbonate), torula yeast, paprika extractives (color and spice), spice extractives (including black pepper). breading set in sunflower oil and/or safflower oil.

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.

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.

Whey Whey is the liquid left over from cheese making, usually dried into a powder and used as a cheap source of milk solids, protein and lactose.

3 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.
Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 91 cooked poultries

From least to most processed, this one ranks 61st. 77% of the cooked poultries 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 91 cooked poultries, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00881098, 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.
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.