Is Sun Chips Harvest Cheddar ultra-processed?

7 oz (198.4 g) Puffed salty snacks made from maize Sold in the United States and Bolivia

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Colour
Flavouring
Lactose
Maltodextrin
Whey
E160c Paprika extract

39 ingredients
3 additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed puffed salty snacks made from maize

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

corn, vegetable oil (processing marker) (sunflower oil, canola oil), whole wheat, brown rice flour, whole oat flour, sugar (processing marker), corn maltodextrin (ultra-processing marker), salt (processing marker) 2%, whey (ultra-processing marker), natural flavors (ultra-processing marker), cheddar cheese (processing marker) (milk, cheese cultures, salt (processing marker), enzymes), onion, buttermilk, potassium salt, romano cheese (processing marker) (cow's milk, cheese cultures, salt (processing marker), enzymes), yeast extract, lactose (ultra-processing marker), paprika extract (ultra-processing marker) (color (ultra-processing marker)), sodium caseinate, citric acid, skim milk, garlic, lactic acid, parmesan cheese (processing marker) (milk, cheese cultures, enzymes, salt (processing marker))

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E270 Lactic acid , E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

WHOLE CORN, VEGETABLE OIL (SUNFLOWER OIL, CANOLA OIL), WHOLE WHEAT, WHOLE GRAIN BROWN RICE FLOUR, WHOLE OAT FLOUR, SUGAR, CORN MALTODEXTRIN, 2% SALT, WHEY, NATURAL FLAVORS, CHEDDAR CHEESE (MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES), ONION POWDER, BUTTERMILK, POTASSIUM SALT, ROMANO CHEESE (COW'S MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES), YEAST EXTRACT, LACTOSE, PAPRIKA EXTRACT (COLOR), SODIUM CASEINATE, CITRIC ACID, SKIM MILK, GARLIC POWDER, LACTIC ACID, PARMESAN CHEESE (MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, ENZYMES, SALT).

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.

E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
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.

Lactose Lactose is milk sugar, crystallised industrially from whey, a by-product of cheese making.
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.

5 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.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
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 21 puffed salty snacks made from maize

From least to most processed, this one ranks 15th. 86% of the puffed salty snacks made from maize 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 21 puffed salty snacks made from maize, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0028400147392, 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.