Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Fritos Mild Cheddar ultra-processed?

9oz Cheese spreads Sold in the United States

Pack of Fritos Mild Cheddar

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:

  • 22 ingredients
  • 9 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed cheese spreads

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

skim milk, water, canola oil, modified corn starch cheddar cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), maltodextrin (made from corn), and less than 2% of the following, salt, disodium phosphate, sodium citrate, yeast extract annatto, cellulose gum, monosodium glutamate, acetic acid, datem citric acid, lactic acid, and mono- and diglycerides, ingredients

Additives: E160b Annatto , E260 Acetic acid , E270 Lactic acid , E330 Citric acid , E331 Sodium citrates , E339ii Disodium phosphate , E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E621 Monosodium glutamate

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E160b Annatto, E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids.

As written on the pack

skim milk, water, canola oil, modified corn starch cheddar cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), maltodextrin (made from corn), and less than 2% of the following: natural flavors, salt, disodium phosphate, sodium citrate, yeast extract annatto, cellulose gum, monosodium glutamate, acetic acid, datem citric acid, lactic acid, and mono - and diglycerides. contains milk ingredients.

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.

  • E160b Annatto Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
  • E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose Carboxymethyl cellulose is a thickener made by chemically modifying cellulose from wood or cotton.
  • E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
  • E621 Monosodium glutamate Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation and used to strengthen savoury 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.

  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
2 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 112 cheese spreads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 105th. 78% of the cheese spreads 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 112 cheese spreads, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0028400000222, last edited 17 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.