Is it ultra-processed?
Menu

Is Trader Joe's Pork Shu Mai Pork Dumplings ultra-processed?

9 oz Chinese dumplings Sold in the United States

Pack of Trader Joe's Pork Shu Mai Pork Dumplings

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:

  • 42 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed chinese dumplings

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

pork, onion, wheat flour, water, potato starch, egg white, spices, sugar, contains less than 2% of each of the following (pork fat), sesame oil, soy sauce (water, wheat, soybean, salt), green onion, sake (water, rice, koji (aspergillus oryzae), salt), oyster flavored sauce (water, sugar, salt, oyster (oyster, water, salt), modified corn starch, caramel color), onion, salt, pork base (roasted pork including pork juice, salt, potato flour, corn oil, FAT, flavorings)

Additives: E150c Ammonia caramel

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E150c Ammonia caramel.

As written on the pack

PORK, ONION, WHEAT FLOUR, WATER, POTATO STARCH, EGG WHITE, SPICES, SUGAR, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING: PORK FAT, SESAME OIL, SOY SAUCE (WATER, WHEAT, SOYBEAN, SALT), GREEN ONION, SAKE (WATER, RICE, KOJI [ASPERGILLUS ORYZAE], SALT), OYSTER FLAVORED SAUCE (WATER, SUGAR, SALT, OYSTER EXTRACTIVE [OYSTER, WATER, SALT], MODIFIED CORN STARCH, CARAMEL COLOR), ONION POWDER, SALT, PORK BASE (ROASTED PORK INCLUDING PORK JUICE, SALT, POTATO FLOUR, CORN OIL, PORK FLAVOR [CONTAINS PORK FAT], FLAVORINGS).

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.

  • E150c Ammonia caramel Ammonia caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars with ammonia compounds.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • 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 15 chinese dumplings

From least to most processed, this one ranks 13th. 67% of the chinese dumplings 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 15 chinese dumplings, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00947787, last edited 6 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.