Great Value Finely Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese, 8 oz — OKAY
Munch or Dump rates Great Value Finely Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese, 8 oz by Great Value OKAY — score 60/90.
The base is real cheddar — milk, cultures, salt, enzymes. But every shred is dusted in potato starch and powdered cellulose so the bag pours, plus natamycin to keep mold off. Genuinely mixed: real fermented dairy wearing an industrial anti-caking jacket. Buy the block and shred it yourself if you care.
Why this verdict
- Real cheddar cheese is the first and dominant ingredient — actual fermented dairy, not a 'cheese product'
- Potato starch and powdered cellulose coat the shreds to prevent caking — inert fillers that dilute the cheese and dull how it melts
- Natamycin is an antifungal preservative; harmless at these trace levels but a processing marker block cheese doesn't need
- No added sugars, refined oils, emulsifiers, or flavor enhancers — the negatives are convenience additives, not engineering
- High saturated fat and sodium, like all cheddar — portion still matters
Ingredients (5)
- Cheddar cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes) (safe) — Traditionally made cheese — good protein and calcium, high in saturated fat and sodium by nature.
- annatto color (safe) — Natural seed-derived pigment for the golden look.
- potato starch (moderate) — Refined starch dusted on shreds so they don't clump. Harmless, but it's filler you're paying cheese prices for.
- POWDERED CELLULOSE (moderate) — Insoluble plant fiber, often wood-pulp derived. Inert and safe, but purely an industrial anti-caking agent.
- natamycin (moderate) — An antifungal sprayed on the shredded cheese to stop mold — safe, but a marker of industrial cheese handling.