Is Great Value Macaroni & Cheese Original Cheddar ultra-processed?

206 g Macaroni and cheese Sold in the United States and France

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Flavouring
Whey
Modified starch

28 ingredients
No additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed macaroni and cheese

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

macaroni (wheat flour, ferrous sulfate, niacin, calcium carbonate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), cheese sauce blend (whey (ultra-processing marker), dairy product, enriched wheat flour, wheat, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), salt (processing marker), food starch-modified (ultra-processing marker), natural flavors (ultra-processing marker), annatto, cheddar cheese (processing marker) (milk, cheese cultures, salt (processing marker), enzymes), sodium phosphate

As written on the pack

ENRICHED MACARONI (WHEAT FLOUR, FERROUS SULFATE, NIACIN, CALCIUM CARBONATE, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), CHEESE SAUCE BLEND (WHEY, DAIRY PRODUCT SOLIDS, ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR [WHEAT, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), SALT, FOOD STARCH-MODIFIED, NATURAL FLAVORS, ANNATTO EXTRACT, CHEDDAR CHEESE [PASTEURIZED MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES], SODIUM PHOSPHATE).

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.

Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.

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.

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.
Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 48 macaroni and cheese

From least to most processed, this one ranks 20th. 94% of the macaroni and cheese 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 48 macaroni and cheese, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0078742358857, last edited 4 August 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.