Is Trader Joe's Cilantro Dressing ultra-processed?

Salad dressings 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
Modified starch
E415 Xanthan gum

34 ingredients
1 additive
Nutri-Score C

Less processed salad dressings

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

Mayonnaise dressing (water, canola oil, modified food starch (ultra-processing marker), distilled vinegar, soy protein, apple cider vinegar, non fat dry milk (processing marker), lemon juice concentrate, onion, xanthan gum (ultra-processing marker), vitamin e, natural flavor (ultra-processing marker), mustard oil (processing marker), paprika), non fat milk (fat free milk, vitamin a palmitate, vitamin d3), red wine vinegar, cilantro, pasilla chile, garlic, cotija cheese (processing marker) (milk, skim milk, sea salt (processing marker), enzymes), pumpkin seeds (natural soybean oil, salt (processing marker), wheat flour, pepitas), xanthan gum (ultra-processing marker)

Additives: E415 Xanthan gum

As written on the pack

Mayonnaise dressing (water, expeller pressed canola oil, modified food starch, distilled vinegar, soy protein, apple cider vinegar, non fat dry milk, lemon juice concentrate, onion powder, xanthan gum, vitamin e, natural flavor, mustard oil, paprika), non fat milk (fat free milk, vitamin a palmitate, vitamin d3), red wine vinegar (contains sulfites), cilantro, pasilla chile, garlic, cotija cheese (cultured pasteurized milk & skim milk, sea salt, enzymes), pumpkin seeds, (natural soybean oil [refined], salt, wheat flour, pepitas), xanthan gum.

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.

E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
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.

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.
Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.
Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 252 salad dressings

From least to most processed, this one ranks 142nd. 85% of the salad dressings 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 252 salad dressings, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00364201, last edited 2 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.
NOVA measures processing, not nutrition. For nutrition, Open Food Facts gives this product a Nutri-Score of C (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.