Is Smith's Cheese & Onion ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 25 ingredients
- 7 additives
- Nutri-Score D
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Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
potatoes, canola oil, sunflower oil (processing marker), whey powder (ultra-processing marker), cheese powder (processing marker), salt (processing marker), onion powder, dextrose (ultra-processing marker), maltodextrin (ultra-processing marker), mineral (salt (processing marker) (potassium chloride)), flavour enhancer (ultra-processing marker) (621), natural flavours (ultra-processing marker) (milk), yeast extract, food acids (citric acid, sodium diacetate), cream powder, antioxidants (tocopherols, ascorbic acid, rosemary extract)
Additives: E262 Sodium acetates , E262ii Sodium diacetate , E300 Ascorbic acid , E306 Tocopherol-rich extract , E330 Citric acid , E392 Extracts of rosemary , E621 Monosodium glutamate
As written on the pack
POTATOES, CANOLA OIL, SUNFLOWER OIL, WHEY POWDER (MILK), CHEESE POWDER (MILK), SALT, ONION POWDER, DEXTROSE, MALTODEXTRIN, MINERAL SALT (POTASSIUM CHLORIDE), FLAVOUR ENHANCER (621), NATURAL FLAVOURS (MILK). YEAST EXTRACT, FOOD ACIDS (CITRIC ACID, SODIUM DIACETATE), CREAM POWDER (MILK), ANTIOXIDANTS (TOCOPHEROLS, ASCORBIC ACID, ROSEMARY EXTRACT).
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.
- Flavour enhancer Flavour enhancers such as monosodium glutamate (E621) strengthen savoury taste without adding a flavour of their own.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
- Salty snacks Products in the category "Salty snacks" are at least group 3.
- Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
- Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
- Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.
Among 19 cheese and onion crisps
From least to most processed, this one ranks 19th. 95% of the cheese and onion crisps here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 9310015241864, last edited 14 July 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.