Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Trader Joe's Mandarin Style Orange Chicken Bowl ultra-processed?

13 oz (369 g) Frozen vegetables Sold in the United States

Pack of Trader Joe's Mandarin Style Orange 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:

  • 39 ingredients
  • No additives
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed frozen vegetables

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

Cooked Rice (Long Grain Rice, Water), Chicken Leg Meat, Broccoli Florets, Sugar, Water, Distilled White Vinegar, Cornstarch, Vegetable Blend (Peas, Carrots, Salt), Water, Soy Sauce (Water, Soybean, Wheat Flour, Salt), Soybean Oil, Water Chestnuts, Shallots, Whole Wheat Flour, Liquid Whole Egg, Modified Cornstarch, Soy Sauce (Soybean, Wheat Flour, Salt, Water), Salt, Garlic, Onion, Garlic, Ginger, Green Onion, Orange Peel, White Pepper, Cayenne Pepper

As written on the pack

Cooked Rice (Enriched Long Grain Rice, Water), Chicken Leg Meat, Broccoli Florets, Sugar, Water, Distilled White Vinegar, Cornstarch, Vegetable Blend (Peas, Carrots, Salt), Water, Soy Sauce (Water, Soybean, Wheat Flour, Salt), Soybean Oil, Water Chestnuts, Shallots, Whole Wheat Flour, Liquid Whole Egg, Modified Cornstarch, Soy Sauce Concentrate (Soybean, Wheat Flour, Salt, Water), Salt, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Garlic, Ginger, Green Onion, Orange Peel, White Pepper, Cayenne Pepper. Contains Egg, Soy, Wheat.

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.

  • Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.
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.
  • Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 115 frozen vegetables

From least to most processed, this one ranks 100th. 19% of the frozen vegetables 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 115 frozen vegetables, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00645270, last edited 3 June 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.