Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Wise Popcorn ultra-processed?

6 oz Popcorn Sold in the United States

Pack of Wise Popcorn

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:

  • 26 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed popcorn

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

popcorn, vegetable oil (contains one and more of the following (corn), cottonseed, sunflower, and canola oil), cheddar cheese (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), butter, buttermilk, maltodextrin, salt, whey (milk derived), whey protein, sodium phosphate, blue cheese (milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes), citric acid, lactic acid

Additives: E270 Lactic acid , E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

popcorn, vegetable oil (contains one or more of the following: corn, cottonseed, sunflower, or canola oil), cheddar cheese (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), butter, buttermilk, maltodextrin, salt, whey (milk derived), whey protein concentrate, sodium phosphate, blue cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes), citric acid, lactic acid,

What makes it ultra-processed

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.

  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
  • 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.

  • 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.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 188 popcorn

From least to most processed, this one ranks 163rd. 57% of the popcorn 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 188 popcorn, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0041262274525, last edited 17 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.
  • NOVA measures processing, not nutrition. For nutrition, Open Food Facts gives this product a Nutri-Score of E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.