Is it ultra-processed?
Menu

Is Classico Four Cheese Alfredo Pasta Sauce ultra-processed?

15 oz Pasta sauces Sold in the United States

Pack of Classico Four Cheese Alfredo Pasta Sauce

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:

  • 50 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed pasta sauces

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

water, cream, modified cornstarch, parmesan cheese (part-skim milk, salt, enzymes), romano cheese made from cow's milk (part-skim milk, salt, enzymes), contains less than 2% of the following (unsalted butter, cream), natural flavor, ricotta cheese (milk, vinegar, salt), sugar, asiago cheese (part-skim milk, salt, enzymes), salt, enzyme modified egg yolks, vermouth (vermouth, salt), whey protein, romano, cheddar cheese blend (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), granular, asiago cheese (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), sodium phosphate, xanthan gum, garlic, spice, natural flavor, gum arabic, enzymes, butter (cream, salt)

Additives: E414 Acacia gum , E415 Xanthan gum

As written on the pack

WATER, CREAM, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, PARMESAN CHEESE (CULTURED PART-SKIM MILK, SALT, ENZYMES), ROMANO CHEESE MADE FROM COW'S MILK (CULTURED PART-SKIM MILK, SALT, ENZYMES), CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF THE FOLLOWING: UNSALTED BUTTER (CREAM, NATURAL FLAVOR), RICOTTA CHEESE (MILK, VINEGAR, SALT), SUGAR, ASIAGO CHEESE (CULTURED PART-SKIM MILK, SALT, ENZYMES), SALT, ENZYME MODIFIED EGG YOLKS, DRY VERMOUTH (VERMOUTH, SALT), WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, ROMANO AND CHEDDAR CHEESE BLEND (CULTURED MILK, SALT, ENZYMES), GRANULAR AND ASIAGO CHEESE (CULTURED MILK, SALT, ENZYMES), SODIUM PHOSPHATE, XANTHAN GUM, GRANULATED GARLIC, SPICE, NATURAL FLAVOR, GUM ARABIC, ENZYMES, BUTTER (CREAM, SALT).

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.

  • E414 Acacia gum Gum arabic (acacia gum) is the hardened sap of acacia trees, used to stabilise flavour emulsions in soft drinks and to coat sweets.
  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • 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.

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

  • 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.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 317 pasta sauces

From least to most processed, this one ranks 301st. 49% of the pasta sauces 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 317 pasta sauces, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0041129274637, last edited 23 July 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.