Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Trader Joe's Toasted sesame dressing ultra-processed?

Salad dressings Sold in the United States

Pack of Trader Joe's Toasted sesame dressing

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:

  • 17 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed salad dressings

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

high-oleic sunflower oil, water, sesame oil, brown sugar, cane sugar, molasses, soy sauce, soybeans, wheat, salt, distilled white vinegar, sesame seeds, yeast extract, black sesame, EGG, sea salt, xanthan gum

Additives: E415 Xanthan gum

As written on the pack

ORGANIC HIGH-OLEIC SUNFLOWER OIL, WATER, ORGANIC TOASTED SESAME OIL, ORGANIC BROWN SUGAR, ORGANIC CANE SUGAR, ORGANIC MOLASSES, ORGANIC SOY SAUCE, ORGANIC SOYBEANS, ORGANIC WHEAT, SALT, ORGANIC DISTILLED WHITE VINEGAR, ORGANIC SESAME SEEDS, YEAST EXTRACT, ORGANIC BLACK SESAME SEEDS, EGG, SEA SALT, XANTHAN GUM

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.

  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
4 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.
  • Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 252 salad dressings

From least to most processed, this one ranks 58th. 85% of the salad dressings 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 252 salad dressings, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00633536, last edited 3 August 2025), 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 E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.