Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Trader Joe's Brioche Style Liege Waffles with Pearl Sugar ultra-processed?

11.64 oz (330 g) Waffles Sold in the United States

Pack of Trader Joe's Brioche Style Liege Waffles with Pearl Sugar

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:

  • 22 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed waffles

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

wheat flour, sugar, vegetable oil spread (vegetable oils, palm oil, coconut oil, canola oil), water, mono- and DIGLYCERIDES OF FATTY ACIDS, citric acid (acidifier), water, butter (milk, lactic acid starter culture), EGG, invert sugar syrup, yeast, soy flour, salt, natural flavor, soy lecithin

Additives: E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E330 Citric acid , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

As written on the pack

WHEAT FLOUR, SUGAR, VEGETABLE OIL SPREAD (VEGETABLE OILS [PALM OIL, COCONUT OIL, CANOLA OIL), WATER, MONO-AND DIGLYCERIDES OF FATTY ACIDS, CITRIC ACID [ACIDIFIER]), WATER, CULTURED BUTTER (MILK, LACTIC ACID STARTER CULTURE), EGG, INVERT SUGAR SYRUP, YEAST, SOY FLOUR, SALT, NATURAL FLAVOR, SOY LECITHIN. CONTAINS MILK, EGG, SOY, 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.

  • E322 Lecithins Lecithins are fatty substances extracted mostly from soybeans, sunflower seeds or eggs, used as emulsifiers to keep fat and water mixed, for example in chocolate.
  • E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
  • 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.
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.

  • Butter Butter, the fat churned from cream.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 38 waffles

From least to most processed, this one ranks 19th. 95% of the waffles 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 38 waffles, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00781022, last edited 31 May 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 E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.