Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese

Breakdown

Ultra-processed · 4 ingredients to avoid

Trader Joe's Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese scores 9/100 on Tallow — our avoid band. That number comes from what is on the label: the ingredients, how processed it is, and what it is packaged in. Per serving it carries 2g fiber, 8g protein and 10g sugar. It is not a verdict on your diet — Tallow does not weigh calories, portion size or how often you eat it, so a high score means the ingredients are clean, not that the food is unlimited.

Trader Joe's Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese lists 22 ingredients, starting with Wheat Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate and Folic Acid. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, so the first few make up most of what you are eating.

250 kcal per serving, or 357 kcal per 100g. Calories are only part of the picture — Tallow scores Trader Joe's Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese on what the ingredients are, not how many calories they carry.

At 9/100 Trader Joe's Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese scores worse than most prepared meals we have scored. A higher-scoring option in prepared meals is Amy's Organic Medium Chili at 100/100.