Can you spot the ultraprocessed foods?

Take a virtual shopping trip to learn more about what's on grocery store shelves.

Ortega Chipotle Taco Sauce
International & World Foods
📊 NOVA 4🌾 Gluten-Free

Ortega Chipotle Taco Sauce

Ortega
9 oz
Available at Foodtown
25
Calories
0g
Protein
1g
Sugars
160mg
Sodium
57
Ingredients

What You Should Know

Ortega Chipotle Aioli Sauce is a squeezable 9-ounce plastic bottle that brings a smoky, creamy finish to everyday meals. You'd find it in the condiment aisle near salsas, mayonnaise, taco sauces and sandwich spreads, often shelved with other Ortega products and refrigerated or ambient sauces depending on the store. Shoppers reach for it on quick weeknight trips, game-day runs, or when planning a casual weekend brunch — it promises an easy flavor upgrade for tacos, burgers, fries, roasted vegetables, and breakfast sandwiches. Ortega’s brand sits squarely in approachable Tex‑Mex grocery culture: mainstream, family-oriented, and positioned as a convenient way to add a Mexican-style twist without specialty shopping. The label leans on tempting descriptors like “aioli” and “chipotle” and notes familiar ingredients (milk, cream) while also listing “natural flavor” and cultured components; there is no organic certification and no explicit “clean label” claim. From a processing perspective, this is a highly formulated sauce: it combines oils, modified starches, emulsifiers, gums and preservatives to create a stable, ready-to-use product. Sensory notes: spoonable yet squeezable, silky and spreadable with a moderate viscous body, a sweet-smoky chipotle warmth, and a rounded dairy creaminess; a faint molasses sweetness and mild garlic-onion backdrop. The ritual is casual and fast — flip the cap, squeeze over a plate, or dunk fries — designed for convenience and consistent flavor every time. Packaging emphasizes practicality over craft, with an easy-to-handle plastic bottle meant for frequent use and resealing.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 tbsp
Servings per Container: 16
Calories25
% Daily Value*
Total Fat1.5g2%
Saturated Fat0g0%
Sodium160mg7%
Total Carbohydrate2g1%
Total Sugars1g
Added Sugars1g2%
Protein0g
* The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Ingredients

Water,, Canola, Oil,, Milk,, Modified, Corn, Starch,, Sugar,, Tomato, Paste,, Cream,, Salt,, Contains, Less, than, 2%, of, Dried, Chipotle, Chili, Pepper,, Bacterial, Cultures,, Blackstrap, Molasses,, Citric, Acid,, Concentrated, Lemon, Juice,, Cultured, Dextrose,, Disodium, EDTA, (Preservative),, Garlic, Powder,, Glucono, Delta-Lactone,, Guar, Gum,, Lactic, Acid,, Locust, Bean, Gum,, Natural, Flavor,, Onion, Powder,, Polysorbate, 80,, Smoke, Flavor,, Sodium, Citrate,, Whey..

Flagged Ingredients:

  • Canola Oil - Seed oil high in omega-6 fatty acids
  • Polysorbate 80 - Processed emulsifier
  • Disodium EDTA - Synthetic preservative
No Seed OilNo EmulsifierNo Preservative

Dietary Labels

This product is not vegan, is gluten-free, and is not organic.

Ultra-Processing Assessment

NOVA Score:4 / 4

Ultra-Processed

Why this score?

Contains multiple industrially formulated ingredients (modified corn starch, polysorbate 80, guar/locust bean gums, disodium EDTA, natural flavors, stabilizers and preservatives), indicating it is an ultra-processed ready-to-eat condiment.

Daily Ritual

Can you Spot Ultraprocessed Foods? Play our Supermarket Game

Take a virtual shopping trip to learn more about what's on grocery store shelves.

Shopping in the supermarket oil aisle

Others also viewed

Common Questions about Ortega Chipotle Taco Sauce

Well, that depends on your definition of healthy! At just 25 calories per tablespoon, it’s low in sugar and calories, but it does contain added sugars and preservatives. If you're looking for a low-calorie way to spice up your taco night, it fits the bill, but if you're aiming for a clean, whole-food approach, you might want to use it sparingly.

Perfect For

game-day-prep
weekend-brunch
movie-night

Vibe:

indulgentconvenientadventurous
$NaN
per package