Is Emporium whipped soft cream cheese spread ultra-processed?

150g Cream cheeses Sold in the United Kingdom

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Gelling agent
Milk proteins
E440 Pectins
E941 Nitrogen

8 ingredients
2 additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed cream cheeses

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

cream cheese (processing marker), crème fraîche, Milk Protein (ultra-processing marker), Sea Salt (processing marker), Tapioca Starch (processing marker), Gelling Agent (ultra-processing marker) (Pectins (ultra-processing marker), Whipped With Nitrogen)

Additives: E440 Pectins , E941 Nitrogen

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E941 Nitrogen.

As written on the pack

CREAM CHEESE (MILK) (86%), CRÈME FRAÎCHE (MILK) (6%), Milk Protein, Sea Salt, Tapioca Starch, Gelling Agent: Pectins. Whipped With Nitrogen.

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.

E440 Pectins Pectins are gelling agents extracted from citrus peel or apple pomace.
E941 Nitrogen Propellants are gases other than air which expel a foodstuff from a container.
Gelling agent Gelling agents such as pectin, gelatine or carrageenan set liquids into gels and stabilise textures.

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.

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.

Cheeses Products in the category "Cheeses" 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 122 cream cheeses

From least to most processed, this one ranks 101st. 64% of the cream cheeses 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 122 cream cheeses, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4088600558608, last edited 27 March 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.