Is Specially Selected Macaroni & cheese white cheddar & Black Pepper ultra-processed?

12 oz Pasta dishes Sold in the United States

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Flavouring
Milk proteins
Whey
E401 Sodium alginate

25 ingredients
3 additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed pasta 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

macaroni (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), cheese sauce (processing marker) (cheddar cheese (processing marker) (milk, cheese cultures, salt (processing marker), enzymes, water, whey (ultra-processing marker), canola oil, sodium phosphate, whey protein (ultra-processing marker), milk protein concentrate (ultra-processing marker), natural flavor (ultra-processing marker), sodium alginate (ultra-processing marker), lactic acid, white distilled vinegar, sorbic acid), black pepper)

Additives: E200 Sorbic acid , E270 Lactic acid , E401 Sodium alginate

As written on the pack

ENRICHED MACARONI (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, FERROUS SULFATE, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), CHEESE SAUCE (CHEDDAR CHEESE [PASTEURIZED MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES, WATER, WHEY, CANOLA OIL, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, NATURAL FLAVOR, SODIUM ALGINATE, LACTIC ACID, WHITE DISTILLED VINEGAR, SORBIC ACID], BLACK PEPPER)

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.

E401 Sodium alginate A food additive used to dissolve, dilute, disperse or otherwise physically modify a food additive or nutrient without altering its function -and without exerting any technological effect itself- in order to facilitate its handling, application or use of the food additive or nutrient.
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.

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.

Meals Products in the category "Meals" are at least group 3.
Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Sauce A prepared sauce used as an ingredient.
Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 544 pasta dishes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 417th. 72% of the pasta 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 544 pasta dishes, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4099100303445, last edited 4 February 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.