Is it ultra-processed?
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Is QUESt Cheese Crackers ultra-processed?

Crackers (Appetizers) Sold in the United States

Pack of QUESt Cheese Crackers

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:

  • 38 ingredients
  • 7 additives

Less processed crackers (Appetizers)

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

Enriched wheat flour (flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), seasoning (whey, maltodextrin, salt, monosodium glutamate, sodium diacetate, dextrose, cayenne pepper sauce (cayenne peppers, vinegar, salt, garlic), modified corn starch, vinegar, spice, citric acid, paprika extract (color), spice extract, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, sunflower oil, and less than 2% silicon dioxide (anti-caking agent)), soybean oil, sugar, salt, malt syrup (tapioca syrup, malt extract), soda

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E262 Sodium acetates , E262ii Sodium diacetate , E330 Citric acid , E621 Monosodium glutamate , E627 Disodium guanylate , E631 Disodium inosinate

As written on the pack

Enriched wheat flour (flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), seasoning (whey, maltodextrin, salt, monosodium glutamate, sodium diacetate, dextrose, cayenne pepper sauce [cayenne peppers, vinegar, salt, garlic], modified corn starch, vinegar, spice, citric acid, paprika extract [color], spice extract, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, sunflower oil, and less than 2% silicon dioxide [anti-caking agent]), soybean oil, sugar, salt, malt syrup (tapioca syrup, malt extract), soda.

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.

  • E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
  • E621 Monosodium glutamate Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation and used to strengthen savoury taste.
  • E627 Disodium guanylate Disodium guanylate is a flavour enhancer usually used together with MSG.
  • E631 Disodium inosinate Disodium inosinate is a flavour enhancer usually used together with MSG.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • 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.

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.

  • Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
  • 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.
6 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.

  • Salty snacks Products in the category "Salty snacks" are at least group 3.
  • 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.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 715 crackers (Appetizers)

From least to most processed, this one ranks 707th. 61% of the crackers (Appetizers) 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 715 crackers (Appetizers), least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0049508006121, last edited 21 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.
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.