Is Trader Joe's Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage ultra-processed?

340g Chicken sausages Sold in the United States

It's processed, but not ultra-processed

Whole foods combined with:

Less processed isn't automatically healthier, so compare the labels for what matters to you, such as sugar or salt.

Ultra-processing Processing signs are highlighted

skinless chicken, CONTAINS 2% and LESS OF PARSLEY, salt (processing marker), fennel, red pepper, mustard, anise, paprika, in a natural pork casing

As written on the pack

SKINLESS CHICKEN, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF PARSLEY, SALT, FENNEL, RED PEPPER, MUSTARD, ANISE, PAPRIKA, IN A NATURAL PORK CASING.

Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.

Open Food Facts puts every product in this category in at least this group.

Prepared meats Products in the category "Prepared meats" are at least group 3.
Sausages Products in the category "Sausages" are at least group 3.

From least to most processed, this one ranks 4th. 70% of the chicken sausages 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.

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00928946, last edited 22 June 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.