Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Trader Joe's Thai Lime & Chili Cashews ultra-processed?

16 oz Cashew nuts Sold in the United States and Thailand

Pack of Trader Joe's Thai Lime & Chili Cashews

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:

  • 18 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed cashew nuts

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

cashews, thai lime leaves, rice bran oil, tom yum seasoning, maltodextrin, sugar, salt, yeast extract powder, citric acid, garlic, lemon grass, silicon dioxide, chili, white pepper, natural lemon flavor, paprika oleoresin, chili, salt

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

cashews, thai lime leaves, rice bran oil, tom yum seasoning, maltodextrin, sugar, salt, yeast extract powder, citric acid, garlic powder, lemon grass, silicon dioxide, chili powder, white pepper, natural lemon flavor, paprika oleoresin, chili powder, salt

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.

  • E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
  • 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.
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.

  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • 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 80 cashew nuts

From least to most processed, this one ranks 77th. 24% of the cashew nuts 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 80 cashew nuts, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00603898, last edited 6 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.