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Is Birds Eye Voila Chicken Bacon Ranch Mac & Cheese Skillet ultra-processed?

42 OZ Macaroni and cheese Sold in the United States

Pack of Birds Eye Voila Chicken Bacon Ranch Mac & Cheese Skillet

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:

  • 114 ingredients
  • 14 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 enriched gemelli pasta (water, durum wheat semolina (semolina, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid)), sauce, water, pasteurized process cheese sauce concentrate (milk, palm oil, whey, water, maltodextrin, sodium phosphate, corn syrup solids, contains less than 2% of (cheese culture), citric acid, enzymes, lactic acid, salt, sodium alginate, sugar, xanthan gum), three cheese seasoning (cheese powder, cheddar, monterey jack, parmesan cheeses (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), whey, salt, palm oil blend (palm oil, corn syrup solids, sodium caseinate, dipotassium phosphate, monoglycerides), modified corn starch, maltodextrin, natural flavors, buttermilk solids, enzyme modified cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, enzyme, folic acid), autolyzed yeast extract, onion, contains less than 2% of (butter), sodium caseinate, disodium phosphate, garlic, lactic acid, spices, paprika extract, turmeric extract, annatto, citric acid), ranch seasoning (maltodextrin, salt, autolyzed yeast extract, buttermilk, garlic, onion, modified food starch, spices, citric acid, xanthan gum, contains less than 2% of, lactic acid), modified corn starch, bacon (with water, salt, sodium phosphates, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite, may contain sugar, brown sugar, and SMOKE FLAVORING), disodium phosphate dehydrated red bell pepper, chicken (white meat chicken, water, olive oil, contains less than 2% of (isolated soy protein product isolated soy protein), modified potato starch, corn starch, carrageenan, soy lecithin, dextrose, potassium chloride, salt, sodium phosphate, flavoring), broccoli

Additives: E100 Curcumin , E160c Paprika extract , E250 Sodium nitrite , E270 Lactic acid , E316 Sodium erythorbate , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E330 Citric acid , E339ii Disodium phosphate , E340 Potassium phosphates , E340ii Dipotassium phosphate , E401 Sodium alginate , E407 Carrageenan , E415 Xanthan gum

As written on the pack

COOKED ENRICHED GEMELLI PASTA (WATER, ENRICHED DURUM WHEAT SEMOLINA [SEMOLINA, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID]), SAUCE (WATER, PASTEURIZED PROCESS CHEESE SAUCE CONCENTRATE [MILK, PALM OIL, WHEY, WATER, MALTODEXTRIN, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF: CHEESE CULTURE, CITRIC ACID, ENZYMES, LACTIC ACID, SALT, SODIUM ALGINATE, SUGAR, XANTHAN GUM], THREE CHEESE SEASONING [CHEESE POWDER (CHEDDAR, MONTEREY JACK AND PARMESAN CHEESES (CULTURED MILK, SALT, ENZYMES), WHEY, SALT, PALM OIL BLEND (PALM OIL, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, SODIUM CASEINATE, DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, MONOGLYCERIDES), MODIFIED CORN STARCH, MALTODEXTRIN, NATURAL FLAVORS (BUTTERMILK SOLIDS AND ENZYME MODIFIED CHEESE (PASTEURIZED MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES)}, ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR (BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, ENZYME, FOLIC ACID), AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, ONION POWDER, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF: BUTTER, SODIUM CASEINATE, DISODIUM PHOSPHATE, GARLIC POWDER, LACTIC ACID, SPICES, PAPRIKA EXTRACT, TURMERIC EXTRACT, ANNATTO EXTRACT, CITRIC ACID], RANCH SEASONING [MALTODEXTRIN, SALT, AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, BUTTERMILK, GARLIC POWDER, ONION POWDER, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, SPICES, CITRIC ACID, XANTHAN GUM, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF: NATURAL FLAVOR, LACTIC ACID], MODIFIED CORN STARCH, BACON [CURED WITH WATER, SALT, SODIUM PHOSPHATES, SODIUM ERYTHORBATE, SODIUM NITRITE. MAY CONTAIN SUGAR, BROWN SUGAR, AND/OR SMOKE FLAVORING], DISODIUM PHOSPHATE DEHYDRATED RED BELL PEPPER), COOKED CHICKEN (WHITE MEAT CHICKEN, WATER, OLIVE OIL, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF: ISOLATED SOY PROTEIN PRODUCT ISOLATED SOY PROTEIN, MODIFIED POTATO STARCH, CORN STARCH, CARRAGEENAN, SOY LECITHIN], DEXTROSE, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, SALT, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, FLAVORING), BROCCOLI.

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.

  • E100 Curcumin 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.
  • E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
  • E322 Lecithins Lecithins are fatty substances extracted mostly from soybeans, sunflower seeds or eggs, used as emulsifiers to keep fat and water mixed, for example in chocolate.
  • E401 Sodium alginate A food additive used to dissolve, dilute, disperse or otherwise physically modify a food additive or nutrient without altering its function -and without exerting any technological effect itself- in order to facilitate its handling, application or use of the food additive or nutrient.
  • E407 Carrageenan Carrageenan is a thickener and gelling agent extracted from red seaweed, used widely in dairy desserts, plant-based drinks and processed meats.
  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
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  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.

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.

  • Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
  • 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.
9 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.

  • E250 Sodium nitrite Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
  • Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
  • Butter Butter, the fat churned from cream.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 48 macaroni and cheese

From least to most processed, this one ranks 48th. 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 0014500019950, last edited 15 June 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.