Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Great Value Fat Free Cottage Cheese Small Curd 0% Milfat ultra-processed?

24 OZ Cheese spreads Sold in the United States and France

Pack of Great Value Fat Free Cottage Cheese Small Curd 0% Milfat

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:

  • 17 ingredients
  • 8 additives
  • Nutri-Score B

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, nonfat dry milk, lactose, salt, artificial color, maltodextrin, guar gum, mono- and diglycerides, locust bean gum, xanthan gum, carrageenan, citric acid, potassium sorbate, carbon dioxide (to maintain freshness), cheese cultures, vitamin a palmitate

Additives: E202 Potassium sorbate , E290 Carbon dioxide , E330 Citric acid , E407 Carrageenan , E410 Locust bean gum , E412 Guar gum , E415 Xanthan gum , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

As written on the pack

Skim milk, nonfat dry milk, lactose, salt, artificial color, maltodextrin, guar gum, mono and diglycerides, locust bean gum, xanthan gum, carrageenan, citric acid, potassium sorbate and carbon dioxide (to maintain freshness), cheese cultures, vitamin a palmitate.

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.

  • E290 Carbon dioxide Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
  • E407 Carrageenan Carrageenan is a thickener and gelling agent extracted from red seaweed, used widely in dairy desserts, plant-based drinks and processed meats.
  • E410 Locust bean gum Locust bean gum (carob gum) is a thickener and stabiliser from the seeds of the carob tree.
  • E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.
  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
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  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.

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.

  • Lactose Lactose is milk sugar, crystallised industrially from whey, a by-product of cheese making.
  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
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.

  • E202 Potassium sorbate Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
  • Cheeses Products in the category "Cheeses" are at least group 3.
  • Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • 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 112 cheese spreads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 111th. 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 0078742373393, last edited 8 July 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 B (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.