Is Heinz Original cheese ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- Colour
- Maltodextrin
- Milk proteins
- E160b Annatto
- E160e Beta-apo-8′-carotenal (c30)
- E401 Sodium alginate
- 26 ingredients
- 5 additives
- Nutri-Score E
Less processed cheeses
Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
skim milk, milk, canola oil, milk protein concentrate (ultra-processing marker), sodium phosphate, contains less than 2% of modified food starch, maltodextrin (ultra-processing marker), = daily value whey, salt (processing marker), calcium phosphate, lactic acid, sorbic acid as a preservative, whey protein (ultra-processing marker), milkfat, sodium alginate (ultra-processing marker), sodium citrate, enzymes, apocarotenal (ultra-processing marker), annatto (ultra-processing marker) (color (ultra-processing marker)), cheese culture, ou how a nutrient erving of contributes to vitamin a palmitate, y diet, calories a day kraft heinz foods company ed for general chicago, il 60601 on advice, velveeta contains 4g of fat per serving
Additives: E160b Annatto , E160e Beta-apo-8′-carotenal (c30) , E270 Lactic acid , E331 Sodium citrates , E401 Sodium alginate
As written on the pack
skim milk, milk, canola oil, milk protein concentrate, sodium phosphate, contains less than 2% of modified food starch, maltodextrin, = daily value whey, salt, calcium phosphate, lactic acid, sorbic acid as a preservative, whey protein concentrate, milkfat, sodium alginate, sodium citrate, enzymes, apocarotenal and annatto (color), cheese culture, ou how a nutrient erving of contributes to vitamin a palmitate. y diet. calories a day kraft heinz foods company ed for general chicago, il 60601 on advice. contains: milk. velveeta contains 4g of fat per serving
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.
- E160e Beta-apo-8′-carotenal (c30) 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.
- E401 Sodium alginate 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.
- 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.
- 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.
2 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.
- Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Among 1,223 cheeses
From least to most processed, this one ranks 1165th. 38% of the cheeses here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0021000616893, last edited 28 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 E (from A, best, to E).
- General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.