Organic Shell Pasta and Cheddar Cheese Sauce

Why Does This Score Ultra-Processed?

In our analysis, Organic Shell Pasta and Cheddar Cheese Sauce scores Ultra-Processed. That classification is shaped by ingredients commonly associated with ultra-processed foods:

• Natural Flavors (Natural Flavors): Despite being natural, these are highly processed extracts.
• Stabilizers & Gums (Xanthan Gum, Organic Guar Gum): Industrial stabilizers common in UPF.
• Other Additives (Carnauba Wax): Miscellaneous additives generally indicate processing.

Within Boxed Dinners & Sides, this product is more processed than about 53% of the 4,145 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 Organic Shell Pasta and Cheddar Cheese Sauce'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: Organic Soybean Oil.

Natural oils are minimally processed, hydrogenated oils indicate UPF.

MineralsProcessing indicator

In this product: Sodium Phosphate.

Added minerals often compensate for processing.

Sugars & Natural SweetenersProcessing indicator

In this product: Organic Maltodextrin.

Natural sugars acceptable in moderation, excessive amounts indicate UPF.

Salt & SodiumProcessing indicator

In this product: Of: Salt.

Basic preservative, but high amounts indicate processing.

Food AcidsProcessing indicator

In this product: Lactic Acid.

Common in both traditional and industrial foods.

Anti-Caking AgentsProcessing indicator

In this product: Silicon Dioxide.

Common in powdered processed foods.

Synthetic VitaminsProcessing indicator

In this product: Mixed Tocopherols.

Fortification often compensates for processing losses.