Is Trader Joe's Vegetable masala burgers ultra-processed?

10 oz Vegan patties Sold in the United States and France

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose

22 ingredients
2 additives
Nutri-Score C

Less processed vegan patties

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

Potatoes, canola oil, carrots, green beans, bread crumbs (wheat flour, sugar (processing marker), yeast, salt (processing marker)), bell peppers, onions, corn, water, salt (processing marker), sugar (processing marker), spices, ginger, cellulose gum (ultra-processing marker), green pepper, citric acid, turmeric, mustard seeds

Additives: E330 Citric acid , E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose

As written on the pack

Potatoes, canola oil, carrots, green beans, bread crumbs (wheat flour, sugar, yeast, salt), bell peppers, onions, corn, water, salt, sugar, spices, ginger, cellulose gum, green pepper, citric acid, turmeric, mustard seeds.

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.

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.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 23 vegan patties

From least to most processed, this one ranks 8th. 83% of the vegan patties 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 23 vegan patties, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00888653, last edited 17 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 C (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.