Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Marshalls Cheesey Mac 'n' Cheese ultra-processed?

Instant pasta Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Marshalls Cheesey Mac 'n' 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:

  • 18 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed instant pasta

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

Durum Wheat Macaroni 80%, Whey powder (from Milk), Cheese (from Milk), powder 5%, Potato Starch, Lactose (from Milk), Salt, Yeast Extract, Colours (Paprika Extract, Beta Carotene), Stabiliser (e541), Pepper, Vegetable Oil

Additives: E160a Carotene , E160ai Beta-carotene , E160c Paprika extract , E541 Sodium aluminium phosphate

As written on the pack

Durum Wheat Macaroni (80%), Whey powder (from Milk), Cheese (from Milk) powder (5%), Potato Starch, Lactose (from Milk), Salt, Yeast Extract, Colours (Paprika Extract, Beta Carotene), Stabiliser (E541), Pepper, Vegetable Oil. May contain traces of egg. Suitable for vegetarians.

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.

  • E160a Carotene Carotenes are orange-yellow pigments, either synthesised or extracted from carrots, algae or palm oil.
  • E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
  • 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.

  • Lactose Lactose is milk sugar, crystallised industrially from whey, a by-product of cheese making.
  • 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.
5 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.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 43 instant pasta

From least to most processed, this one ranks 37th. 60% of the instant pasta 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 43 instant pasta, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5010223072291, last edited 26 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.
  • 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.