Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Trader Joe's Handheld Chicken Pot Pies ultra-processed?

9 oz Puff pastry sheets Sold in the United States

Pack of Trader Joe's Handheld Chicken Pot Pies

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
  • No additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed puff pastry sheets

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

flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), palm shortening, water, beef suet, sugar, salt, boneless skinless chicken thigh, boneless skinless chicken breast with rib meat, potato, onion, celery, nonfat dry milk, peas, carrots, chicken base (chicken, salt, yeast extract, natural flavors, turmeric), garlic, thyme, white pepper

As written on the pack

Unbleached enriched flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), palm shortening, water, beef suet, sugar, salt, boneless skinless chicken thigh, boneless skinless chicken breast with rib meat, diced potato, diced onion, diced celery, nonfat dry milk, peas, diced carrots, chicken base (roasted chicken, salt, yeast extract, natural flavors, turmeric), dehydrated garlic, thyme, white 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.
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.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 19 puff pastry sheets

From least to most processed, this one ranks 8th. 63% of the puff pastry sheets 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 19 puff pastry sheets, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00763608, last edited 22 February 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.