Is Cheese Clu mac & cheese made with chickpea pasta ultra-processed?

Macaroni and cheese 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:

E415 Xanthan gum

14 ingredients
3 additives
Nutri-Score D

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

chickpea pasta (chickpeas, pea starch (processing marker), tapioca (processing marker), xanthan gum (ultra-processing marker)), cheddar cheese seasoning (cheddar cheese (processing marker), milk, salt (processing marker), enzymes), buttermilk, salt (processing marker), disodium phosphate, lactic acid

Additives: E270 Lactic acid , E339ii Disodium phosphate , E415 Xanthan gum

As written on the pack

CHICKPEA PASTA (CHICKPEAS, PEA STARCH, TAPIOCA, XANTHAN GUM), CHEDDAR CHEESE SEASONING (CHEDDAR CHEESE [CULTURED PASTEURIZED MILK, SALT, ENZYMES), DRY BUTTERMILK, SALT, DISODIUM PHOSPHATE, LACTIC ACID)

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.

E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.

4 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.
Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
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 12th. 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 4061461683283, last edited 25 August 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 D (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.