Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Seriously Lighter Cheddar Cheese Spread ultra-processed?

110g Cheese spreads Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Seriously Lighter Cheddar Cheese Spread

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:

  • 14 ingredients
  • 5 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed cheese spreads

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

cheese, cheddar cheese 42%, cheese, water 9%, skimmed milk powder, emulsifying salts (e331, e452, e450), thickener (pectin), salt, preservative (potassium sorbate)

Additives: E202 Potassium sorbate , E331 Sodium citrates , E440 Pectins , E450 Diphosphates , E452 Polyphosphates

As written on the pack

cheese(milk)42% cheddar cheese ( milk) 33%, reduced fat cheese (milk) 9% water, skimmed milk powder, emulsifying salts ( E331, E452,E450), thickener( pectin), salt,preservative ( potassium sorbate)

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.

  • E440 Pectins Pectins are gelling agents extracted from citrus peel or apple pomace.
  • E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
  • E452 Polyphosphates Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
  • Thickener Thickeners, often gums or modified starches, make liquids more viscous so that a product feels richer than its ingredients alone would make it.
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.

  • E202 Potassium sorbate Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
  • 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.
  • Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 112 cheese spreads

From least to most processed, this one ranks 96th. 78% of the cheese spreads 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 112 cheese spreads, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 3228023190059, last edited 14 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.
  • 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.