Is Trader Joe’s Garden vegetable soup ultra-processed?

Canned soups 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

18 ingredients
1 additive
Nutri-Score C

Less processed canned soups

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

water, tomatoes, tomato paste, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, onions, corn starch (processing marker), chicken base, sugar (processing marker), salt (processing marker), garlic, spices, citric acid, parsley, natural flavor (ultra-processing marker), yeast extract, paprika, turmeric

Additives: E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

water, tomatoes, tomato paste, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, onions, corn starch, chicken base, sugar, salt, garlic, spices, citric acid, dehydrated parsley, natural flavor, yeast extract, paprika, turmeric

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.

4 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.

Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 190 canned soups

From least to most processed, this one ranks 98th. 68% of the canned soups 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 190 canned soups, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00684200, last edited 2 April 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.