Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Wendy's Chili With Beans ultra-processed?

15 oz Stews Sold in the United States

Pack of Wendy's Chili With Beans

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:

  • 44 ingredients
  • 6 additives
  • Nutri-Score B

Less processed stews

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

beef, tomato puree (water, tomato paste), kidney beans (kidney beans, water), pinto beans, onions, water, diced tomatoes in juice (tomatoes, tomato juice), celery, green bell peppers, salt, beef broth, beef tallow, sugar, modified corn starch, corn starch, natural flavors, chili pepper, beef flavor (extract, yeast extract, salt, flavor, maltodextrin, lactic acid, citric acid), onion, citric acid, tapioca starch, yeast extract, garlic, dextrose, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, xanthan gum, autolyzed yeast extract, gum arabic, maltodextrin, smoke flavor

Additives: E270 Lactic acid , E330 Citric acid , E414 Acacia gum , E415 Xanthan gum , E627 Disodium guanylate , E631 Disodium inosinate

As written on the pack

BEEF, TOMATO PUREE (WATER, TOMATO PASTE), KIDNEY BEANS (KIDNEY BEANS, WATER), COOKED PINTO BEANS, ONIONS, WATER, DICED TOMATOES IN JUICE (DICED TOMATOES, TOMATO JUICE), CELERY, GREEN BELL PEPPERS, SALT, BEEF BROTH, BEEF TALLOW, SUGAR, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, CORN STARCH, NATURAL FLAVORS, CHILI PEPPER, BEEF FLAVOR (CONTAINS BEEF EXTRACT, YEAST EXTRACT, SALT, FLAVOR, MALTODEXTRIN, LACTIC ACID, CITRIC ACID), ONION POWDER, CITRIC ACID, TAPIOCA STARCH, YEAST EXTRACT, GARLIC POWDER, DEXTROSE, DISODIUM INOSINATE, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, XANTHAN GUM, AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, GUM ARABIC, MALTODEXTRIN, SMOKE FLAVOR. MAY CONTAIN: SOY.

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.

  • E414 Acacia gum Gum arabic (acacia gum) is the hardened sap of acacia trees, used to stabilise flavour emulsions in soft drinks and to coat sweets.
  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • E627 Disodium guanylate Disodium guanylate is a flavour enhancer usually used together with MSG.
  • E631 Disodium inosinate Disodium inosinate is a flavour enhancer usually used together with MSG.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.

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.

  • Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
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.

  • Meals Products in the category "Meals" 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 33 stews

From least to most processed, this one ranks 32nd. 73% of the stews 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 33 stews, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0027000378151, last edited 7 May 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.