Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Trader Joe's Toscano cheese spread ultra-processed?

Cheeses Sold in the United States

Pack of Trader Joe's Toscano 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:

  • 23 ingredients
  • 4 additives

Less processed cheeses

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

milk, cheese cultures, salt, microbial enzymes, chardonnay wine, water, yeast, cream cheese, milk, cream, cheese culture, salt, guar gum, carob bean gum, xanthan gum, water, reduced lactose whey, sea salt, garlic, parsley, lactic acid, acidified, guar gum

Additives: E270 Lactic acid , E410 Locust bean gum , E412 Guar gum , E415 Xanthan gum

As written on the pack

pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, microbial enzymes, chardonnay wine, water, yeast, cream cheese, pasteurized milk, cream, cheese culture, salt, guar gum, carob bean gum, xanthan gum, water, reduced lactose whey, sea salt, garlic, parsley, lactic acid, acidified, guar gum

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.

  • E410 Locust bean gum Locust bean gum (carob gum) is a thickener and stabiliser from the seeds of the carob tree.
  • E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.
  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
3 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.

  • Cheeses Products in the category "Cheeses" are at least group 3.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 1,223 cheeses

From least to most processed, this one ranks 1057th. 38% of the cheeses 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 1,223 cheeses, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 00748032, last edited 4 September 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.
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.