Is Goodles CHED OVER HEELS Creamy Mild Cheddar Sauce Over Shells ultra-processed?

9 oz Pot noodles Sold in the United States

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Flavouring
Milk proteins
Whey
E160b Annatto
E401 Sodium alginate
E415 Xanthan gum

30 ingredients
6 additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed pot noodles

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

goodles shells (wheat flour, chickpea protein, wheat protein, broccoli, spinach, kale, pumpkin, sweet potato, sunflower seed, cranberry, chlorella, maitake mushroom, shiitake mushroom), cheddar cheese sauce (water, cheddar cheese (processing marker), canola oil, whey (ultra-processing marker), nonfat dry milk (processing marker), milk protein concentrate (ultra-processing marker), salt (processing marker), disodium phosphate, natural flavor (ultra-processing marker), lactic acid, sodium alginate (ultra-processing marker), sorbic acid, xanthan gum (ultra-processing marker), annatto (ultra-processing marker), paprika)

Additives: E160b Annatto , E200 Sorbic acid , E270 Lactic acid , E339ii Disodium phosphate , E401 Sodium alginate , E415 Xanthan gum

As written on the pack

GOODLES SHELLS (WHEAT FLOUR, CHICKPEA PROTEIN, WHEAT PROTEIN, BROCCOLI, SPINACH, KALE, PUMPKIN, SWEET POTATO, SUNFLOWER SEED, CRANBERRY, CHLORELLA, MAITAKE MUSHROOM, SHIITAKE MUSHROOM), CHEDDAR CHEESE SAUCE (WATER, CHEDDAR CHEESE, CANOLA OIL, WHEY, NONFAT DRY MILK, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SALT, DISODIUM PHOSPHATE, NATURAL FLAVOR, LACTIC ACID, SODIUM ALGINATE, SORBIC ACID, XANTHAN GUM, ANNATTO, PAPRIKA)

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.
E401 Sodium alginate A food additive used to dissolve, dilute, disperse or otherwise physically modify a food additive or nutrient without altering its function -and without exerting any technological effect itself- in order to facilitate its handling, application or use of the food additive or nutrient.
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.

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

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.

Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.
Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 21 pot noodles

From least to most processed, this one ranks 14th. 81% of the pot noodles 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 21 pot noodles, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0850031990517, last edited 25 June 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.