Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Nabisco Easy Cheese Cheddar ultra-processed?

8 oz (226 g) Cheddar cheese Sold in the United States, Bolivia and France

Pack of Nabisco Easy Cheese Cheddar

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
  • 5 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

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

whey, canola oil, milk protein concentrate, cheddar cheese (milk, salt, cheese culture, enzymes), milk, whey protein, sodium phosphate, sodium citrate, calcium phosphate, salt, lactic acid, milkfat, sodium alginate, sorbic acid (as a preservative), sodium caseinate, acetic acid, color (annatto, apocarotenal), enzymes, cheese culture

Additives: E160e Beta-apo-8′-carotenal (c30) , E200 Sorbic acid , E260 Acetic acid , E270 Lactic acid , E401 Sodium alginate

As written on the pack

WHEY, CANOLA OIL, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, CHEDDAR CHEESE (MILK, SALT, CHEESE CULTURE, ENZYMES), MILK, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, SODIUM CITRATE, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SALT, LACTIC ACID, MILKFAT, SODIUM ALGINATE, SORBIC ACID (AS A PRESERVATIVE), SODIUM CASEINATE, ACETIC ACID, COLOR (ANNATTO EXTRACT, APOCAROTENAL), ENZYMES, CHEESE CULTURE.

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.

  • 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.

  • Milk proteins Milk proteins are proteins separated from milk, such as caseinates and whey protein concentrates, added to adjust texture or raise protein content.
  • 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.
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.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 155 cheddar cheese

From least to most processed, this one ranks 151st. 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 0044000045517, last edited 18 March 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.