Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Great Value Thick & creamy macaroni & cheese ultra-processed?

Pastas Sold in the United States

Pack of Great Value Thick & creamy macaroni & cheese

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:

  • 25 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed pastas

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, durum flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), cheddar cheese sauce mix (whey, cheddar cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), modified cornstarch, salt, maltodextrin, whey protein, natural flavors, annatto, yeast extract, lactic acid (lactic acid, calcium lactate))

Additives: E270 Lactic acid , E327 Calcium lactate

As written on the pack

Enriched macaroni (wheat flour, durum flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), cheddar cheese sauce mix (whey, dehydrated cheddar cheese [pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes], modified cornstarch, salt, maltodextrin, whey protein concentrate, natural flavors, color added [annatto extract], yeast extract, lactic acid powder [lactic acid, calcium lactate]).

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.

  • E327 Calcium lactate Thickeners are substances which increase the viscosity of a foodstuff.
  • 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.

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

From least to most processed, this one ranks 827th. 51% of the pastas 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 999 pastas, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0078742230610, last edited 28 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.