Is Happy Farms by ALDI Sharp Cheddar finely shredded cheese ultra-processed?

336 g Cheddar cheese 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:

E160b Annatto

12 ingredients
2 additives

Less processed cheddar 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

milk, cheese culture, salt (processing marker), microbial enzymes, annatto (ultra-processing marker) (vegetable color), potato starch (processing marker), corn starch (processing marker), calcium sulfate added to prevent caking, natamycin (a natural mold inhibitor (processing marker)), aged over 120 days

Additives: E160b Annatto , E235 Natamycin

As written on the pack

pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, microbial enzymes and annatto (vegetable color), potato starch, corn starch and calcium sulfate added to prevent caking, natamycin (a natural mold inhibitor), aged over 120 days,

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.

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.

Cheeses Products in the category "Cheeses" are at least group 3.
Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 155 cheddar cheese

From least to most processed, this one ranks 127th. 28% of the cheddar 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 155 cheddar cheese, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4099100013566, last edited 8 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.
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.