Is Trader Joe's Spicy Mexican-Style Riced Cauliflower ultra-processed?

Frozen vegetables 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

22 ingredients
No additives
Nutri-Score B

Less processed frozen vegetables

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

cauliflower, tumatoes, red bell peppers, yellow bell peppers, green bell peppers, water, jalapeño peppers (jalapeño peppers, water, alcohol vinegar, salt (processing marker), calcium chloride, turmeric oleoresin (color (ultra-processing marker))), cilantro, extra virgin olive oil (processing marker), tomato concentrate, salt (processing marker), lime juice, cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic puree

As written on the pack

cauliflower, tumatoes, red bell peppers, yellow bell peppers, green bell peppers, water, pickled jalapeño peppers (jalapeño peppers, water, alcohol vinegar, salt, calcium chloride, turmeric oleoresin [color]), cilantro, extra virgin olive oil, tomato concentrate, salt, lime juice, cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic puree.

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.

2 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.

Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 115 frozen vegetables

From least to most processed, this one ranks 98th. 19% of the frozen vegetables 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 115 frozen vegetables, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00698566, last edited 10 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 B (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.