Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Trader Joe's Trail Mix Crackers ultra-processed?

4.5 Crackers (Appetizers) Sold in the United States

Pack of Trader Joe's Trail Mix Crackers

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:

  • 38 ingredients
  • 6 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed crackers (Appetizers)

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

cheese cracker blend, wheat flour, rice bran oil, sugar, cheese powder (cheese (milk, salt, starter culture, microbial enzyme, annatto (color), beta carotene (color)), sodium phosphate, whey powder), milk powder, baking soda, salt, beta carotene (color), soy lecithin, mung beans (mung beans, palm oil, salt), cashews, sugar syrup (water, glucose syrup (tapioca starch), sugar), raisins (raisins, sunflower oil), white sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, black sesame

Additives: E160a Carotene , E160ai Beta-carotene , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate

As written on the pack

CHEESE CRACKER BLEND (WHEAT FLOUR, RICE BRAN OIL, SUGAR, CHEESE POWDER (CHEESE {MILK, SALT, STARTER CULTURE, MICROBIAL ENZYME, ANNATTO EXTRACT (COLOR), BETA CAROTENE (COLOR)}, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, WHEY POWDER), MILK POWDER, BAKING SODA, SALT, BETA CAROTENE [COLOR], SOY LECITHIN), FRIED MUNG BEANS (MUNG BEANS, PALM OIL, SALT), CASHEWS, SUGAR SYRUP (WATER, GLUCOSE SYRUP [TAPIOCA STARCH], SUGAR), RAISINS (RAISINS, SUNFLOWER OIL), WHITE SESAME SEEDS, PUMPKIN SEEDS, BLACK SESAME SEEDS. CONTAINS MILK, SOY, SESAME, WHEAT, CASHEW. MAY CONTAIN EGG, PEANUT, ALMOND.

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.

  • E160a Carotene Carotenes are orange-yellow pigments, either synthesised or extracted from carrots, algae or palm oil.
  • E322 Lecithins Lecithins are fatty substances extracted mostly from soybeans, sunflower seeds or eggs, used as emulsifiers to keep fat and water mixed, for example in chocolate.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.

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.

  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Glucose syrup Glucose syrup is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Whey Whey is the liquid left over from cheese making, usually dried into a powder and used as a cheap source of milk solids, protein and lactose.
7 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.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.
  • Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 715 crackers (Appetizers)

From least to most processed, this one ranks 666th. 61% of the crackers (Appetizers) 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 715 crackers (Appetizers), least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00654111, last edited 27 August 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 D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.