Is Trader Joe's Mediterranean Style Hummus ultra-processed?

16 oz Hummus Sold in the United States

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Dextrose
Glucose

22 ingredients
1 additive
Nutri-Score C

Less processed hummus

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

Garbanzo beans (garbanzo beans, water, salt (processing marker)), tahini (sesame seeds), water, canola oil, safflower oil (processing marker), garlic, concentrated lemon juice, salt (processing marker), pine nuts, phosphoric, acetic, malic acids, dextrose (ultra-processing marker) (preserves freshness), olive oil (processing marker), spices, red bell pepper, parsley

Additives: E296 Malic acid

As written on the pack

Garbanzo beans (garbanzo beans, water, salt), tahini (ground sesame seeds), water, canola oil and/or safflower oil, garlic, concentrated lemon juice, salt, pine nuts, phosphoric, acetic and malic acids, cultured dextrose (preserves freshness), olive oil, spices, dehydrated red bell pepper, dehydrated parsley.

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.

Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.

2 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 223 hummus

From least to most processed, this one ranks 203rd. 25% of the hummus 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 223 hummus, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00906425, last edited 12 May 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.