Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Trader Joe's Buttermilk pancake & baking mix ultra-processed?

907g, 32 OZ Pancake mixes Sold in the United States and Canada

Pack of Trader Joe's Buttermilk pancake & baking mix

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:

  • 18 ingredients
  • 3 additives

Less processed pancake mixes

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

flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, malted barley flour, may contain enzymes, ascorbic acid), soybean oil, buttermilk, dextrose, contains 2% and less of the following (sodium bicarbonate), calcium acid pyrophosphate, monocalcium phosphate, salt

Additives: E341 Calcium phosphates , E341i Monocalcium phosphate , E450 Diphosphates

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E450 Diphosphates.

As written on the pack

Enriched unbleached flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, malted barley flour, may contain enzymes, ascorbic acid), soybean oil, buttermilk, dextrose, contains 2% or less of the following: sodium bicarbonate, calcium acid pyrophosphate, monocalcium phosphate, salt.

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.

  • E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.

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.

  • Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
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.
  • 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 43 pancake mixes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 28th. 79% of the pancake mixes 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 43 pancake mixes, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00259255, last edited 21 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.