Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Trader Joe's Green Chile Chicken Bowl ultra-processed?

9.5 oz Meals with chicken Sold in the United States

Pack of Trader Joe's Green Chile Chicken Bowl

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:

  • 30 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed meals with chicken

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, dark chicken meat, green chile peppers (green chile peppers, water, salt, citric acid (to preserve)), white rice, cheddar cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, microbial enzyme, annatto (for color), tapioca starch), onion, CONTAINS 2% and LESS OF SEA SALT, soybean oil, lime juice, onion powder, garlic powder, cornstarch, chilh pepper, oregano, cumin, dried cilantro, sugar, black pepper

Additives: E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

WATER, DARK CHICKEN MEAT, DICED GREEN CHILE PEPPERS (GREEN CHILE PEPPERS, WATER, SALT, CITRIC ACID [TO PRESERVE]), WHITE RICE, SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE (PASTEURIZED MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, MICROBIAL ENZYME, ANNATTO EXTRACT [FOR COLOR], TAPIOCA STARCH), DICED ONION, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF SEA SALT, SOYBEAN OIL, LIME JUICE, ONION POWDER, GARLIC POWDER, CORNSTARCH, CHILH PEPPER, OREGANO, CUMIN POWDER, DRIED CILANTRO, SUGAR, BLACK PEPPER

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.

  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
6 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.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 213 meals with chicken

From least to most processed, this one ranks 64th. 79% of the meals with chicken 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 213 meals with chicken, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00753784, last edited 21 September 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.