Is Trader Joe's Green Spanakopita ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 27 ingredients
- 1 additive
- Nutri-Score D
Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
spinach, sunflower, canola oil, onions, feta cheese (processing marker) (sheep's milk goat's milk, microbial enzyme (processing marker), calcium chloride salt, cheese cultures (processing marker)), mizithra cheese (whey (ultra-processing marker) (sheep, goat, COW), cream, salt (processing marker), lactic acid), hard cheese (processing marker) (milk, salt (processing marker), microbial enzyme cheese cultures), leeks, olive oil (processing marker), dill, parsley, salt (processing marker), pepper
Additives: E270 Lactic acid
As written on the pack
(WHEAT FLOUR, WATER, CORNSTARCH, SEA SALT, DEACTIVATED YEAST). SPINACH, SUNFLOWER AND/OR CANOLA OIL. ONIONS, FETA CHEESE (SHEEP'S MILK GOAT'S MILK. MICROBIAL ENZYME. CALCIUM CHLORIDE SALT. CHEESE CULTURES). MIZITHRA CHEESE (WHEY [SHEEP, GOAT, COW] CREAM, SALT, LACTIC ACID). HARD CHEESE (PASTEURIZED MILK. SALT, MICROBIAL ENZYME CHEESE CULTURES). LEEKS. OLIVE OIL. DILL. PARSLEY, SALT, PEPPER.
What makes it ultra-processed
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.
- Whey Whey is the liquid left over from cheese making, usually dried into a powder and used as a cheap source of milk solids, protein and lactose.
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.
- Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
- Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.
- Enzyme Enzymes carry out traditional processes such as cheese making and baking.
- Microbial culture Microbial cultures ferment foods such as yoghurt, cheese and sourdough.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00552486, last edited 6 July 2025), 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 D (from A, best, to E).
- General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.