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Is Trader Joe's Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce ultra-processed?

Tomato sauces with basil Sold in the United States

Pack of Trader Joe's Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce

It's processed, but not ultra-processed

  1. 1 Unprocessed
  2. 2 Kitchen staple
  3. 3 Processed
  4. 4 Ultra-processed

Whole foods combined with:

  • 19 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed tomato sauces

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

Tomatoes, tomato puree (water, tomato paste), cream, parmesan cheese (milk, cheese culture, enzymes, microbial rennet, salt), onions, extra virgin olive oil, basil, garlic, salt, sugar, spices, citric acid

Additives: E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

Tomatoes, tomato puree (water, tomato paste), cream, parmesan cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese culture, enzymes, microbial rennet, salt), onions, extra virgin olive oil, basil, garlic, salt, sugar, spices, citric acid.

What makes it processed

Processed ingredients

Processed foods in their own right, such as cheese or milk powder.

  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

Culinary ingredients

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

How the NOVA groups work

Among 35 tomato sauces with basil

From least to most processed, this one ranks 25th. 29% of the tomato sauces with basil 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 35 tomato sauces with basil, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00507769, last edited 6 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.