Is Trader Joe's Vegan Italian Style Sausage ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 23 ingredients
- 1 additive
- Nutri-Score C
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Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
water, textured soy protein, soybean oil (processing marker), egg whites, dried vegetables (onions, garlic, tomato, RED and GREEN BELL PEPPERS), potato starch (processing marker), soy protein isolate, wheat gluten (ultra-processing marker), cellulose gum (ultra-processing marker), sea salt (processing marker), yeast extract, salt (processing marker), tapioca starch (processing marker), barley malt extract, spices, natural flavor (ultra-processing marker) (sources), evaporated cane syrup, calcium phosphate
Additives: E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose
As written on the pack
WATER, TEXTURED SOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SOYBEAN OIL, EGG WHITES, DRIED VEGETABLES (ONIONS, GARLIC, TOMATO, RED AND GREEN BELL PEPPERS), POTATO STARCH, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, WHEAT GLUTEN, CELLULOSE GUM, SEA SALT, YEAST EXTRACT, SALT, TAPIOCA STARCH, BARLEY MALT EXTRACT, SPICES, NATURAL FLAVOR (FROM PLANT SOURCES) EVAPORATED CANE SYRUP, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE
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.
- E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose Carboxymethyl cellulose is a thickener made by chemically modifying cellulose from wood or cotton.
- 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.
- Gluten Wheat gluten, sold as "vital wheat gluten", is the protein washed out of wheat flour.
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.
- Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
- Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
Among 512 meat analogues
From least to most processed, this one ranks 231st. 80% of the meat analogues here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00929516, last edited 8 September 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.