American Singles Pasteurized Process Cheese Product, American

Why Does This Score Highly Processed?

In our analysis, American Singles Pasteurized Process Cheese Product, American scores Highly Processed. That classification is shaped by ingredients commonly associated with ultra-processed foods:

• Modified Starches (Modified Food Starch): Chemical modification is a hallmark of UPF.
• Processed Meats (Gelatin): Mechanically separated and reformed meats are UPF markers.
• Processed Dairy Ingredients (Milk Protein Concentrate): Isolated proteins and modified ingredients indicate UPF.
• Natural Flavors (Natural Flavor): Despite being natural, these are highly processed extracts.

Within Cheese, this product is more processed than about 78% of the 19,171 products we've analyzed.

Processing classification reflects ingredient and additive analysis, not a judgment of any product's safety, quality, or healthfulness.

What These Ingredients Tell Us

We group American Singles Pasteurized Process Cheese Product, American's ingredients into ingredient categories and note how each relates to food processing. The notes below describe the category, not this specific product's formulation.

Vegetable OilsProcessing indicator

In this product: Palm Oil.

Natural oils are minimally processed, hydrogenated oils indicate UPF.

MineralsProcessing indicator

In this product: Tricalcium Phosphate, Sodium Citrate.

Added minerals often compensate for processing.

Salt & SodiumProcessing indicator

In this product: Salt.

Basic preservative, but high amounts indicate processing.

Food AcidsProcessing indicator

In this product: Sorbic Acid (As A Preservative), Citric Acid.

Common in both traditional and industrial foods.

Natural ColorsProcessing indicator

In this product: B-Apo-Carotenal And Beta Carotene.

Natural sources but still indicate processing.

Synthetic VitaminsProcessing indicator

In this product: Vitamin D3.

Fortification often compensates for processing losses.