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Trader Joe's Beef-less Ground Beef
Photo: Open Food Facts contributors (CC BY-SA)

Meat analogues

Trader Joe's Beef-less Ground Beef

12 oz

Poor out of 100 Medium confidence
  • Ultra-processed
  • Contains added sugars
  • Contains seed oils
  • No synthetic dyes
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Why it scores 27

Trader Joe's Beef-less Ground Beef scores 27 out of 100 (Poor) under GoodSwap’s published rules. What moved the score most:

  1. Invert sugar: An added sugar. Strong
  2. Malt syrup: An added sugar. Strong
  3. Ultra-processed (NOVA 4): Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. Strong

Every line of the math is on The Receipt below, with its evidence tier and sources.

Better ground meat

The same kind of product, at least 10 points higher, sold in the US. Never paid placements.

The Receipt

Beef-less Ground Beef

START100

Ingredients

  • Invert sugar
    Strong An added sugar. [1][2][3]
  • Malt syrup
    Strong An added sugar. [1][2][3]
  • Caramel color
    Regulatory The FDA says classes III and IV, which can contain 4-MEI, are the most commonly used food color additives by volume. [4][5][6][7]
subtotal−50

Processing

  • Ultra-processed (NOVA 4)
    Strong Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. [8]
  • 5 kinds of ultra-processing markers
    Emerging Industrial additive classes found: color (added), flavoring, industrial protein, industrial sugar or starch hydrolysate and thickener, stabilizer or gelling agent. [8]
subtotal−24

Nutrition per 100 g

  • Salt 1.2 g / 100 g
    Strong High in salt. [9]
  • Fiber 5.4 g / 100 g
    Strong A good source of fiber. [2]
  • Protein 16.4 g / 100 g
    Info A good source of protein. [2]
subtotal+1
TOTAL 27Poor

100 − 73 = 27

Can’t score above 79. Contains invert sugar, an ingredient of high concern. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

GTIN 00009912000092 · 2025-02-07

score v1.3.0 · kb 2026.10.11

Medium confidence

Same product, same score. Every time.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy109 kcal
Fat1.8 g
Saturated fat0 g
Trans fat0 g
Carbohydrates7.3 g
Sugars0.9 g
Fiber5.4 g
Protein16.4 g
Salt1.2 g

Serving: 1 serving (55 g)

Ingredients

High Moderate Not recognized Tap an ingredient for its evidence and rules.
Label text, as published

WATER, TEXTURED SOY PROTÉIN, ONIONS, NATURAL FLAVORS (INCLUDES YEAST EXTRACT), ÉXPELLER PRESSED CANOLA OIL, SALT, GUAR GUM, EVAPORATED CANE SYRUP, BARLEY MALT EXTRACT, CARAMEL COLOR, SPICE, VITAMINS AND MINERALS (THIAMINE HYDROCHLORIDE, RIBOFLAVIN, NIACINAMIDE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, CYANOCOBALAMIN, CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, FERROUS FUMARATE, ZINĆ OXIDE, RICE FLOUR). CONTAINS SOY.

Allergens and diets

Contains: Soy, Gluten

  • Not gluten-free
  • Palm-oil-free

Always check the package: recipes change.

Healthiest meat analogues in the US

More from Trader Joe's

Sources

  1. Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children

    World Health Organization · Mar 4, 2015 · Agency assessment

    “In both adults and children, WHO recommends reducing the intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake”

    who.int

  2. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030

    U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture · January 2026 · Regulator

    “Limit foods and beverages that include artificial flavors, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives, and low-calorie non-nutritive sweeteners.”

    cdn.realfood.gov

  3. Added and free sugars should be as low as possible

    European Food Safety Authority · Feb 28, 2022 · Agency assessment

    “Sugar consumption is a known cause of dental caries.”

    efsa.europa.eu

  4. Questions & Answers About 4-MEI

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration · Mar 27, 2020 · Regulator

    “Based on current science, the FDA has no reason to believe that there are any immediate or short-term health risks presented by 4-MEI at the levels expected in food.”

    fda.gov

  5. Agents Classified by the IARC Monographs, Volumes 1–142 (List of Classifications)

    International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO) · IARC

    monographs.iarc.who.int

  6. Caramel Color in Soft Drinks and Exposure to 4-Methylimidazole: A Quantitative Risk Assessment

    PLOS ONE · Feb 18, 2015 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  7. Proposition 65 List of Chemicals Known to the State to Cause Cancer or Reproductive Toxicity

    California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) · Jul 31, 2026 · Law

    “The date refers to the initial appearance of the chemical on the list.”

    oehha.ca.gov

  8. Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them

    Public Health Nutrition · April 2019 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  9. Sodium reduction (fact sheet)

    World Health Organization · May 11, 2026 · Agency assessment

    “For adults, WHO recommends less than 2000 mg/day of sodium (equivalent to less than 5 g/day salt), or just under a teaspoon.”

    who.int

  10. Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses

    BMJ · Feb 28, 2024 · Peer-reviewed

    “Greater exposure to ultra-processed food was associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, especially cardiometabolic, common mental disorder, and mortality outcomes.”

    doi.org

  11. Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake

    Cell Metabolism · July 2019 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  12. Re-evaluation of the traditional diet-heart hypothesis: analysis of recovered data from Minnesota Coronary Experiment (1968-73)

    BMJ · Apr 12, 2016 · Peer-reviewed

    “replacement of saturated fat in the diet with linoleic acid effectively lowers serum cholesterol but does not support the hypothesis that this translates to a lower risk of death from coronary heart disease or all causes.”

    doi.org

  13. Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association

    Circulation · Jul 18, 2017 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  14. Dietary Linoleic Acid and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies

    Circulation · Oct 28, 2014 · Peer-reviewed

    “These data provide support for current recommendations to replace saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat for primary prevention of CHD.”

    doi.org