Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Classico Four Cheese Sauce ultra-processed?

24 oz Pasta sauces Sold in the United States

Pack of Classico Four Cheese 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:

  • 42 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score A

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

tomato puree (water, tomato paste), diced tomatoes in juice (tomatoes, tomato juice, citric acid, calcium chloride), sugar, salt, parmesan cheese (cultured, pasteurized part-skim milk, salt, enzymes), romano cheese made from cow's milk (part-skim milk, salt, enzymes), garlic, provolone cheese (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), granulated onion, ricotta cheese (whey, milk, cream, vinegar, salt), spices, olive oil, milk, milk, lactic acid, cheese cultures, butter (cream, salt), sodium phosphate, enzymes

Additives: E270 Lactic acid , E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

TOMATO PUREE (WATER, TOMATO PASTE), DICED TOMATOES IN JUICE (TOMATOES, TOMATO JUICE, CITRIC ACID, CALCIUM CHLORIDE), SUGAR, SALT, PARMESAN CHEESE (CULTURED, PASTEURIZED PART-SKIM MILK, SALT, ENZYMES), ROMANO CHEESE MADE FROM COW'S MILK (CULTURED PART-SKIM MILK, SALT, ENZYMES), DEHYDRATED GARLIC, PROVOLONE CHEESE (CULTURED MILK, SALT, ENZYMES), GRANULATED ONION, RICOTTA CHEESE (WHEY, MILK, CREAM, VINEGAR, SALT), SPICES, OLIVE OIL, MILK, PASTEURIZED MILK, LACTIC ACID, CHEESE CULTURES, BUTTER (CREAM, SALT), SODIUM PHOSPHATE, ENZYMES

What makes it ultra-processed

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.

  • 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.

  • Butter Butter, the fat churned from cream.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • 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 317 pasta sauces

From least to most processed, this one ranks 234th. 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 0041129077627, last edited 7 September 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 A (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.