Is it ultra-processed?
Menu

Is Cheez-It White Cheddar Baked Snack Crackers ultra-processed?

12.4 oz Crackers (Appetizers) Sold in the United States

Pack of Cheez-It White Cheddar Baked Snack Crackers

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:

  • 39 ingredients
  • 8 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed crackers (Appetizers)

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

flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, vitamin B1 (thiamin mononitrate), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), folic acid), vegetable oil (soybean, palm oil with TBHQ for freshness), white cheddar cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), salt, whey, cheddar cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), monosodium glutamate, whey protein, butter (cream, salt), baking soda, yeast, natural and artificial flavor, lactic acid, calcium lactate, disodium phosphate, citric acid, turmeric color, annatto extract color, soy lecithin

Additives: E270 Lactic acid , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E330 Citric acid , E339ii Disodium phosphate , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate , E621 Monosodium glutamate

As written on the pack

Enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, vitamin B1 [thiamin mononitrate], vitamin B2 [riboflavin], folic acid), vegetable oil (soybean and palm oil with TBHQ for freshness), white cheddar cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), salt, whey, cheddar cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), monosodium glutamate, whey protein concentrate, butter (cream, salt), baking soda, yeast, natural and artificial flavor, lactic acid, calcium lactate, disodium phosphate, citric acid, turmeric extract color, annatto extract color, soy lecithin.

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.

  • 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.
  • E621 Monosodium glutamate Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation and used to strengthen savoury taste.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

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.

  • Milk proteins Milk proteins are proteins separated from milk, such as caseinates and whey protein concentrates, added to adjust texture or raise protein content.
  • 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.

  • Salty snacks Products in the category "Salty snacks" are at least group 3.
  • Butter Butter, the fat churned from cream.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 715 crackers (Appetizers)

From least to most processed, this one ranks 645th. 61% of the crackers (Appetizers) 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 715 crackers (Appetizers), least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0024100789382, last edited 3 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.