Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Ragu Classic Alfredo Sauce ultra-processed?

16 oz (454 g) Alfredo sauces Sold in the United States

Pack of Ragu Classic Alfredo Sauce

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:

  • 24 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed sauces

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

water, soybean oil, cream, parmesan cheese (part-skim milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), modified corn starch, enzymes modified egg yolk, whey, salt, romano cheese (pasteurized part-skim milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), whey protein, xanthan gum, autolyzed yeast extract, disodium phosphate, garlic powder, spice, natural flavor

Additives: E339ii Disodium phosphate , E415 Xanthan gum

As written on the pack

water, soybean oil, cream, parmesan cheese (part-skim milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), modified corn starch, enzymes modified egg yolk, whey, salt, romano cheese (pasteurized part-skim milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), whey protein concentrate, xanthan gum, autolyzed yeast extract, disodium phosphate, garlic powder, spice, natural flavor,

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.

  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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 18 alfredo sauces

From least to most processed, this one ranks 14th. 94% of the alfredo sauces 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 18 alfredo sauces, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0036200013694, last edited 21 September 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 D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.