Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Trader Joe's Organic Whole Wheat Bread ultra-processed?

22 oz Wheat breads Sold in the United States

Pack of Trader Joe's Organic Whole Wheat Bread

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:

  • 16 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed wheat breads

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

whole wheat flour, water, vital wheat gluten, contains 2% and less sugar, wheat bran, yeast, honey, oat fiber, molasses, canola oil, sea salt, distilled vinegar, microbial enzyme, guar gum, ascorbic acid (dough conditioner)

Additives: E412 Guar gum

As written on the pack

organic whole wheat flour, water, organic vital wheat gluten, contains 2% or less of organic sugar, organic wheat bran, yeast, organic honey, organic oat fiber, organic molasses, organic expeller pressed canola oil, sea salt, organic distilled vinegar, microbial enzyme, organic guar gum, ascorbic acid (dough conditioner), contains 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.

  • E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.

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.

  • Gluten Wheat gluten, sold as "vital wheat gluten", is the protein washed out of wheat flour.
  • Vegetable fiber Isolated plant fibres, such as inulin, oat fibre or bamboo fibre, are extracted industrially and added to change texture or support "source of fibre" claims.
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.

  • Honey Honey, used as a sweetener.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 228 wheat breads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 65th. 92% of the wheat breads 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 228 wheat breads, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00649568, last edited 8 July 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.