Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Freschetta Four Cheese Pizza ultra-processed?

Frozen pizzas Sold in the United States

Pack of Freschetta Four Cheese Pizza

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:

  • 49 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed frozen pizzas

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

cheese blend (low moisture part skim mozzarella, fontina, parmesan cheeses (pasteurized part-skim milk, salt, enzymes), asiago cheese (cultures pasteurized milk, salt, enzymes)), sauce (crushed tomatoes (water, crushed tomatoes), tomato puree (water, tomato paste), sugar, salt, spices, soybean oil, citric acid, garlic, dehydrated onion, romano cheese (cow's milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), onion powder), water, tapioca starch, rice flour, rice starch, contains 2% and less of (vegetable oil (soybean, canola oil)), whey, yeast, shortening (palm oil, natural flavor, soy lecithin), sugar, salt, xanthan gum, dried garlic

Additives: E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E330 Citric acid , E415 Xanthan gum

As written on the pack

cheese blend (low moisture part skim mozzarella, fontina , parmesan cheeses [cultured pasteurized part-skim milk, salt, enzymes], asiago cheese [cultures pasteurized milk, salt, enzymes]), sauce (crushed tomatoes [water, concentrated crushed tomatoes], tomato puree [water, tomato paste], sugar, salt, spices, soybean oil, citric acid, garlic, dehydrated onion, romano cheese [cow's milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes], onion powder), water, tapioca starch, rice flour, rice starch, contains 2% or less of: vegetable oil (soybean and/or canola oil), dried whey, yeast, shortening (palm oil, natural flavor, soy lecithin), sugar, salt, xanthan gum, dried garlic,

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.
  • 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.

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.
7 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.
  • 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.
  • Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 191 frozen pizzas

From least to most processed, this one ranks 142nd. 84% of the frozen pizzas 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 191 frozen pizzas, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0072180637161, last edited 1 October 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.