Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Rice-A-Roni Creamy Four Cheese ultra-processed?

Rice dishes Sold in the United States

Pack of Rice-A-Roni Creamy 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:

  • 42 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed rice dishes

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

rice, wheat flour, palm oil, whey, salt, corn syrup, parmesan cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), onions, cheddar cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), natural flavor, monosodium glutamate, cheddar, romano cheeses (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), cream, sugar, monoglycerides, parsley, autolyzed yeast extract, blue cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), ferric orthophosphate, niacinamide, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, folic acid, riboflavin, dried

Additives: E621 Monosodium glutamate

As written on the pack

rice, wheat flour, palm oil, whey, salt, corn syrup, parmesan cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), onions*, cheddar cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), natural flavor, monosodium glutamate, cheddar and romano cheeses (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), cream, sugar, monoglycerides, parsley*, autolyzed yeast extract, blue cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), ferric orthophosphate, niacinamide, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, folic acid, riboflavin, *dried

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.

  • E621 Monosodium glutamate Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation and used to strengthen savoury taste.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

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.

  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • 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.

  • Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 192 rice dishes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 153rd. 71% of the rice dishes 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 192 rice dishes, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0015300439801, last edited 18 August 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.