Is Great Value Grated Parmesan Cheese ultra-processed?

Cheeses 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:

E460 Cellulose

8 ingredients
3 additives
Nutri-Score E

Less processed 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

Parmesan cheese (processing marker) (cultured milk, salt (processing marker), enzymes), powdered cellulose (ultra-processing marker) (added to prevent caking (processing marker)), potassium sorbate (processing marker) (added to protect flavor (processing marker))

Additives: E202 Potassium sorbate , E460 Cellulose , E460ii Powdered cellulose

As written on the pack

Parmesan cheese (pasteurized cultured milk, salt, enzymes), powdered cellulose (added to prevent caking), potassium sorbate (added to protect flavor).

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.

E460 Cellulose 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.

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.

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.
Anti-caking agent Anti-caking agents are substances which reduce the tendency of individual particles of a foodstuff to adhere to one another.
Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Sandwiches Products in the category "Sandwiches" are at least group 3.
Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 1,223 cheeses

From least to most processed, this one ranks 876th. 38% of the 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 1,223 cheeses, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0078742353227, last edited 1 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 E (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.