Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Trader Joe's Baked Cheese Crunchies ultra-processed?

7 oz Puffed salty snacks made from maize Sold in the United States

Pack of Trader Joe's Baked Cheese Crunchies

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:

  • 19 ingredients
  • No 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

cornmeal, vegetable oil (sunflower oil, safflower oil, canola oil), cheddar cheese seasoning (milk, salt, enzymes), whey, butter (cream, salt), buttermilk, salt, annatto, turmeric (for color), natural flavor

As written on the pack

CORNMEAL, EXPELLER PRESSED VEGETABLE OIL (SUNFLOWER OIL AND/OR SAFFLOWER OIL AND/OR CANOLA OIL), CHEDDAR CHEESE SEASONING (CULTURED PASTEURIZED MILK, SALT, ENZYMES), WHEY, BUTTER (CREAM, SALT), BUTTERMILK, SALT, ANNATTO AND TURMERIC (FOR COLOR), NATURAL FLAVOR.

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.

  • 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.

  • 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.
  • Butter Butter, the fat churned from cream.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 21 puffed salty snacks made from maize

From least to most processed, this one ranks 7th. 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 00111553, last edited 28 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.