Is Trader Joe's Organic Buttery Plant-Based Spread ultra-processed?

13 oz Margarines 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:

Colour
Flavouring

13 ingredients
1 additive
Nutri-Score E

Less processed margarines

Butter With Olive Oil & Sea Salt Land O Lakes 4 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 2
Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt Spread Land O Lakes 4 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 2
Spreadable Butter Simple Truth Organic 2 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 2
Superfood power Trail bliss 6 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 2

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

oil blend (coconut oil, palm fruit oil, canola oil, high-oleic sunflower oil, flaxseed oil), water, sea salt, sunflower lecithin, natural flavor (ultra-processing marker), mixed tocopherols, annatto (color (ultra-processing marker))

Additives: E306 Tocopherol-rich extract

As written on the pack

organic oil blend (organic coconut oil, organic palm fruit oil, organic canola oil, organic high-oleic sunflower oil, organic flaxseed oil), water, sea salt, sunflower lecithin powder, organic natural flavor, mixed tocopherols, organic annatto extract (color)

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.

Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 184 margarines

From least to most processed, this one ranks 42nd. 85% of the margarines 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 184 margarines, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00757621, last edited 6 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 E (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.