Is it ultra-processed?
Menu

Is Kraft Mexican Style Four Cheese ultra-processed?

8 oz Cheeses Sold in the United States and Thailand

Pack of Kraft Mexican Style Four 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:

  • 26 ingredients
  • 3 additives

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), cheddar cheese (milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes, annatto), asadero cheese (milk, cheese culture, salt, citric acid, enzymes), queso quesadilla cheese (milk, cheese culture, salt, vinegar, citric acid, enzymes), modified cornstarch, natamycin

Additives: E160b Annatto , E235 Natamycin , E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

MONTEREY JACK CHEESE (PASTEURIZED MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES), CHEDDAR CHEESE (PASTEURIZED MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES, ANNATTO), ASADERO CHEESE (PASTEURIZED MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, CITRIC ACID, ENZYMES), QUESO QUESADILLA CHEESE (PASTEURIZED MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, VINEGAR, CITRIC ACID, ENZYMES), MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, NATAMYCIN.

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.
  • 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.
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.
  • 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 1,224 cheeses

From least to most processed, this one ranks 995th. 38% of the cheeses 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 1,224 cheeses, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0021000054961, last edited 8 October 2025), 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.