Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Annie's organic cheddar squares ultra-processed?

Biscuits Sold in the United States

Pack of Annie's organic cheddar squares

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:

  • 21 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed biscuits

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

wheat flour, sunflower oil, whole grain wheat flour, salt, cheddar cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, sea salt, enzymes), yeast, paprika, cultured milk, nonfat milk, annatto (for color), onion, celery seed, enzymes, mixed tocopherols (vitamin e), to protect flavor

Additives: E160b Annatto , E306 Tocopherol-rich extract

As written on the pack

Organic wheat flour, organic expeller-pressed sunflower oil, organic whole grain wheat flour, salt, organic cheddar cheese (pasteurized organic milk, cheese cultures, sea salt, enzymes), organic yeast, organic paprika, cultured organic milk, organic nonfat milk, organic annatto (for color), organic onion powder, organic celery seed powder, enzymes, mixed tocopherols (vitamin e) to protect flavor.

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.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
7 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.

  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.
  • Enzyme Enzymes carry out traditional processes such as cheese making and baking.
  • Microbial culture Microbial cultures ferment foods such as yoghurt, cheese and sourdough.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 1,514 biscuits

From least to most processed, this one ranks 479th. 83% of the biscuits 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 1,514 biscuits, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0013562493999, last edited 5 September 2022), 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 D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.