Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Kirkland Signature Shredded Mexican-Style Blend Cheese ultra-processed?

1130g Grated cheese Sold in the United States

Pack of Kirkland Signature Shredded Mexican-Style Blend Cheese

It's processed, but not ultra-processed

  1. 1 Unprocessed
  2. 2 Kitchen staple
  3. 3 Processed
  4. 4 Ultra-processed

Whole foods combined with:

  • 26 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score C

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

Monterey Jack Cheese (Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes), Medium Cheddar Cheese (Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes, Annatto Color), Queso Quesadilla Cheese (Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes), Asadero Cheese (Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes), Potato Starch (Added To Prevent Caking), Natamycin (A Natural Mold Inhibitor), Milk

Additives: E235 Natamycin

As written on the pack

Monterey Jack Cheese (Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes), Medium Cheddar Cheese (Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes, Annatto Color), Queso Quesadilla Cheese (Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes), Asadero Cheese (Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes), Potato Starch (Added To Prevent Caking), Natamycin (A Natural Mold Inhibitor), Milk

What makes it processed

Processed ingredients

Processed foods in their own right, such as cheese or milk powder.

  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

Culinary ingredients

Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.

  • Anti-caking agent Anti-caking agents are substances which reduce the tendency of individual particles of a foodstuff to adhere to one another.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.

Preservation and traditional processing

Keep food safe or ferment it, like preservatives and cultures. A sign of processing, not ultra-processing.

Category rules

Open Food Facts puts every product in this category in at least this group.

  • Cheeses Products in the category "Cheeses" are at least group 3.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 73 grated cheese

From least to most processed, this one ranks 49th. 33% of the grated 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 73 grated cheese, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0096619362776, last edited 26 May 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.