Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Trader Joe's Grilled Chicken Breast ultra-processed?

Chickens Sold in the United States

Pack of Trader Joe's Grilled Chicken Breast

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:

  • 20 ingredients
  • No additives
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed chickens

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

boneless skinless chicken breast with rib meat, water, natural flavors, canola oil, salt, cane sugar, chicken base (chicken meat with natural juices, salt, cane sugar, maltodextrin, yeast extract, onion powder, cornstarch, garlic powder, turmeric, celery juice, lemon juice concentrate), garlic, black pepper

As written on the pack

BONELESS SKINLESS CHICKEN BREAST WITH RIB MEAT, WATER, NATURAL FLAVORS, EXPELLER PRESSED CANOLA OIL, SALT, CANE SUGAR, CHICKEN BASE (CHICKEN MEAT WITH NATURAL JUICES, SALT, CANE SUGAR, MALTODEXTRIN, YEAST EXTRACT, ONION POWDER,, CORNSTARCH, GARLIC POWDER, TURMERIC, CELERY JUICE, LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE), GRANULATED GARLIC, 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.

  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

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.

  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
3 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.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 356 chickens

From least to most processed, this one ranks 172nd. 74% of the chickens 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 356 chickens, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00648738, last edited 2 October 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.