Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Aldi Macaroni Cheese ultra-processed?

Macaroni and cheese Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Aldi Macaroni Cheese

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:

  • 24 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed macaroni and cheese

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

cooked macaroni pasta 43% (water, durum wheat semolina), water, medium fat softche modified maize starch, rapeseed oil, sugar, cheese powder, cheese powder, wheat four whe calcium carbonate, iron, niacin, thiamin, whey powder, skimmed milk powder, mustard rou starch, salt, stabilisers (polyphosphates), sodium phosphates, yeast extract, colour, carotenes allergy advice, care should be taken when opening and disposing of all cans 4000

Additives: E339 Sodium phosphates , E452 Polyphosphates

As written on the pack

cooked macaroni pasta (43%) (water, durum wheat semolina), water, medium fat softche modified maize starch, rapeseed oil, sugar, cheese powder (cheese powder (milk), wheat four whe calcium carbonate, iron, niacin, thiamin, whey powder (milk), skimmed milk powder, mustard rou starch, salt, stabilisers: polyphosphates, sodium phosphates, yeast extract, colour, carotenes allergy advice: for allergens, see ingredients in bold, dietary advice: suitable for vegetarians no artifical colours or flavourings caution: care should be taken when opening and disposing of all cans 4000

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.

  • E452 Polyphosphates Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.

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.

  • Whey Whey is the liquid left over from cheese making, usually dried into a powder and used as a cheap source of milk solids, protein and lactose.
5 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.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.
  • Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 48 macaroni and cheese

From least to most processed, this one ranks 22nd. 94% of the macaroni and cheese 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 48 macaroni and cheese, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4088600072531, last edited 27 March 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.