Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Bread ultra-processed?

22 oz Wheat breads Sold in the United States

Pack of Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Bread

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:

  • 16 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score A

Less processed wheat breads

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

whole wheat flour, water, wheat gluten, honey, yeast, canola oil, whole wheat flour (to preserve), distilled vinegar, sea salt, wheat starch, soy lecithin, ascorbic acid (dough conditioner), microbial enzymes, soybean oil

Additives: E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin

As written on the pack

WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, WATER, WHEAT GLUTEN, HONEY, YEAST, EXPELLER PRESSED CANOLA OIL, CULTURED WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR (TO PRESERVE), DISTILLED VINEGAR, SEA SALT, WHEAT STARCH, SOY LECITHIN, ASCORBIC ACID (DOUGH CONDITIONER), MICROBIAL ENZYMES, SOYBEAN OIL

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.

  • 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.

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.
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.

  • Honey Honey, used as a sweetener.
  • 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 228 wheat breads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 48th. 92% of the wheat breads 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 228 wheat breads, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00642200, last edited 18 July 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 A (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.