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Is Trader Joe's Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips Chili & Lime Flavored ultra-processed?

9 oz (255 g) Corn chips Sold in the United States

Pack of Trader Joe's Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips Chili & Lime Flavored

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:

  • 30 ingredients
  • 8 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed corn chips

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

stone ground yellow corn, vegetable oil (high-oleic sunflower oil, HIGH-OLEIC SAFFLOWER OIL and OLEIC CANOLA OIL), HOT CHILI and LIME FLAVORED SEASONING (salt, yeast, cornstarch, cane sugar, citric acid (acidulant), yeast extract, corn maltodextrin, gum arabic, malic acid, lime juice concentrate, onion powder, vegetable juice (color), paprika extract (color), turmeric extract (color), natural flavor, beta carotene (color), tocopherol (to preserve), oleoresin capsicum), trace of lime

Additives: E100 Curcumin , E160a Carotene , E160ai Beta-carotene , E160c Paprika extract , E296 Malic acid , E306 Tocopherol-rich extract , E330 Citric acid , E414 Acacia gum

As written on the pack

STONE GROUND YELLOW CORN, VEGETABLE OIL (HIGH-OLEIC SUNFLOWER OIL, HIGH-OLEIC SAFFLOWER OIL AND/OR OLEIC CANOLA OIL), HOT CHILI & LIME FLAVORED SEASONING (SALT, YEAST, CORNSTARCH, CANE SUGAR, CITRIC ACID [ACIDULANT], YEAST EXTRACT, CORN MALTODEXTRIN, GUM ARABIC, MALIC ACID, LIME JUICE CONCENTRATE, ONION POWDER, VEGETABLE JUICE [COLOR], PAPRIKA EXTRACT [COLOR], TURMERIC EXTRACT [COLOR], NATURAL FLAVOR, BETA CAROTENE [COLOR], TOCOPHEROL [TO PRESERVE], OLEORESIN CAPSICUM), TRACE OF LIME.

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.

  • E100 Curcumin Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
  • E160a Carotene Carotenes are orange-yellow pigments, either synthesised or extracted from carrots, algae or palm oil.
  • E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
  • E414 Acacia gum Gum arabic (acacia gum) is the hardened sap of acacia trees, used to stabilise flavour emulsions in soft drinks and to coat sweets.
  • 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.

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.

  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
5 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.

  • Salty snacks Products in the category "Salty snacks" 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 359 corn chips

From least to most processed, this one ranks 311th. 46% of the corn chips 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 359 corn chips, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00614207, last edited 28 September 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.