Is Amy's Macaroni & Cheese ultra-processed?

255 g Sold in the United States

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

E160b Annatto

18 ingredients
1 additive
Nutri-Score A

Ingredients

Ultra-processing Processing signs are highlighted

macaroni (semolina flour, whole wheat flour, water), lowfat milk, cheddar cheese (processing marker) (milk, culture, salt (processing marker), enzymes (without animal enzymes, rennet)), grade aa butter (cream, salt (processing marker)), sweet rice flour, sea salt (processing marker), annatto (ultra-processing marker)

Additives: E160b Annatto

As written on the pack

ORGANIC MACARONI (ORGANIC SEMOLINA FLOUR, ORGANIC WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, WATER), ORGANIC LOWFAT MILK, CHEDDAR CHEESE (PASTEURIZED MILK, CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES [WITHOUT ANIMAL ENZYMES OR RENNET]), GRADE AA BUTTER (CREAM, SALT), ORGANIC SWEET RICE FLOUR, SEA SALT, ORGANIC ANNATTO.

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.

E160b Annatto Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.

2 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.

Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0042272000302, last edited 24 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 A (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.